That was exactly the fate which befell Chief Minister Oommen Chandy and Revenue Minister Adoor Prakash on the issue of effecting amendments to the Kerala Land Assignment Rules. 1964. The amendment sought to legalise all encroachments on government land in hilly areas prior to June 1, 2005.

Such was the vehemence of opposition that greeted the Revenue Minister’s move that a red-faced government had no option but to beat a hasty retreat and withdraw it.

The Government decision vindicated the opposition Left Democratic Front’s stringent criticism of it. Both the Leader of the Opposition, V. S. Achuthanandan and CPI(M) state secretary, Kodiyeri Balakrishnan had dubbed it as an unabashed move to favour the real estate mafia.

But what induced a quick rethink on the government’s part was the stiff opposition to the move from within the Congress, and the allies, including the Indian Union Muslim League. Congress MLAs like V. D. Satheeshan and TN Prathapan made no secret of their vehement opposition to the move to favour the quarry, resort and real estate mafia. The last nail was hammered home by none other than Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president, V. M. Sudheeran who summoned the Revenue Minister for a personal explanation of the dangerous move which would have cost the Congress dear politically and electorally had it been cleared. A panicky Adoor Prakash announced the withdrawal hours before his scheduled meeting with the KPCC chief!

The Chief Minister and the Revenue Minister are now putting up a brave face by saying that it was a well-intentioned’ move aimed at helping poor farmers and settlers! But they are unable to answer the simple question: If it really was a move to help the poor farmers and settlers, why did not it elicit overwhelming support from across the political spectrum instead of the chorus of criticism that greeted the announcement? Even the combative CM had no answer to that question. Nor were they able to say at whose behest the move was initiated. In the process, the move was exposed for what it really was: a humongous hoax that was sought to be perpetrated on the people in the name of poor farmers and settlers in hilly areas.

Had the Government succeeded in its designs, thousands of acres of government land, including forest land would have become the property of big encroachers. Moreover, the Government would have lost hundreds of cases it is fighting in various courts demanding restoration of forest land illegally occupied by the encroachers and quarry and real estate mafia.

Here is one more solid proof of the government’s dishonesty on the issue. In a submission to the Central Government on the Kasturirangan report implementation, the State Government made the shockingly astounding declaration that only land under its control is forest land! In other words, thousands of forest land encroached by the real estate mafia and big land sharks do not belong to the Government!!

Significantly, the Revenue Minister did not hide his displeasure over having failed to pursue the government’s agenda. In a petulant reaction at the press conference where he announced the withdrawal of the controversial move, he said, in future, all those who need title deeds should approach those who were protesting against the Government’s ‘well-intentioned’ move to help the poor farmers and settlers, especially in hill districts like Idukki!

The Government also tried to make a virtue of necessity by claiming that the amendment move was dropped following a request from Idukki District Congress Committee chief Roy Poulose. Roy, however, promptly denied having made any such request, adding to the Government’s acute embarrassment.

Last but not the least, the government was trying, through the amendment, to introduce sub-rule 7B of the land assignment rules which says that “all encroachments not considered objectionable’’ and which completes 10 years as on June 1, 2015 can be “assigned on registry”! As per the rules, first priority in land assignment should be given to landless people, including adivasis, followed by Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes and ex-servicemen. The encroachers occupy only the number 7 place in the ladder of priority!. But if the amendment had been cleared, the principal beneficiaries would have been the encroachers! So much for the Government’s so-called commitment to ensure land for the landless and the adivasis. Ironically, the adivasis continue to agitate for land, and reports have it that the agitation has completed more than 1000 days.

In another move that clearly would benefit the high-profile encroachers, the Government, through the amendment , also sought to revise the income limit for those who can be assigned land from the existing Rs one lakh to Rs 3 lakh per annum!

It is as clear as daylight that what prompted the government to backtrack was the vehemence of the opposition to the sinister move. Will it learn appropriate lessons from the sordid episode and desist, in future, from taking controversial and anti-people decisions? The government’s past record shows that such an outcome is highly unlikely. The Chandy Government has well and truly become a government of controversies, by controversies and for controversies. (IPA Service)