The hilly
regions of Kozhikode District in Kerala were practically in flames yesterday.
Incited by the Catholic Church and the Communist Party of India (Marxists), crowds
of uninformed peasants under the leadership of political and church hooligans
took to the streets, burning down and destroying valuable public and private
properties including transport vehicles, government offices etc. All were in
the name of the decision of the Union Government to implement some
recommendations for environmental and ecological protection of the Western
Ghats by Dr. K. Kasturirangan Panel.
The roots of the present
uprising of the people of hilly regions of Kerala goes back to the decision of
the Central Government to appoint a Committee under the chairman- ship of Prof.
Madhav Gadgil to recommend ways and measures for the protection of ecologically
sensitive areas of the Western Ghats. After detailed study the Committee
submitted its report to the Government.
The vested interests, who were going on with the relentless and
indiscriminate exploitation of the ecologically sensitive high ranges of Kerala
and other states in which Western Ghats is situated, incited various groups of
people including farmers, estate owners etc. etc. against the proposals of
Gadgil Committee and instilled false and baseless fears in the minds of
innocent people that all the farmers and cultivators will be evicted from these
regions of the Western Ghats. There is no basis for this false and motivated
propaganda. In the last few days while watching channel discussions on the
matter, the impression I gained is that those who oppose Prof. Madhav Gadgil
report haven’t actually gone through it. An impartial reading of the report is
sufficient to convince an unbiased observer that the Gadgil report is not
inimical to the cultivators of High Ranges.
In order to surmount the
opposition of the influential Catholic Church and some political parties in the
region towards the recommendations of the Madhav Gadgil Report, Central
Government appointed Dr. Kasturirangan Panel to restudy and revise the proposals
of Gadgil Report. The report produced by Kasturirangan Panel was a highly
diluted and watered down version of the original Gadgil report. In fact if the
Government is interested in the ecological and environmental protection of the
Western Ghats it is not Kasturirangan Report but Madhav Gadgil Report to be
implemented. The vested interests of the High Ranges are not even prepared to
allow the implementation of this watered down version of Gadgil Report ie. the
Kasturirangan Panel Report.
UNESCO has earmarked the
Western Ghats as a reservoir of biodiversity and a world heritage. The
existence of Kerala depends on the Western Ghats and we can’t imagine a Kerala
without eco-friendly Western Ghats. Out
of 44 rivers of Kerala 41 originate from Western Ghats and flow into the
Arabian Sea. Unauthorized quarrying, sand mining and widespread destruction of
the ever green forests with the connivance of the political parties and
religious outfits like Catholic Church are leading to the total destruction of
this mountain range. It will not be long
before all the 41 rivers of Kerala will dry up as a result of wanton
destruction of the High Ranges by quarry, land and real estate mafia. These
mafia, backed by the Catholic Church (The richness of the Church and its clergy
is due to the hefty generous donations of the mafia and using these funds, the
bishops travel in luxury vehicles like Audy cars and live in luxurious splendor
and fly from airport to airport. The new Pope Francis coined the term airport
bishops for these people.) and now by vote-seeking CPM are behind the troubles
of hilly areas of Kozhikode, Wynad, Idukki, Pathanathitta etc. I am so sorry to
see CPM bartering the ecology of Western Ghats for a few votes that can be
mustered by the Catholic clergy. The new political equation in the offing in
Kerala, an alliance of the political face of the Catholic Church, Kerala
Congress and the CPIM is behind this joining together of these two groups in
the agitation against Kasturirangan Report.
Canards and lies are
spread in the area against Gadgil Report by the quarry, sand mining and land
mafia. Their propaganda is that all the peasants and farmers will be evicted
from their lands. There is no such proposal anywhere in the Gadgil Report where
as it says that agriculture and agricultural activity must be encouraged. But
it recommends banning of unrestricted quarrying, sand mining and indiscriminate
exploitation of forest wealth. Gadgil has suggested that traditional farming
must be encouraged and pesticides like endosulphan must be banned in the area. Genetically engineered seeds like B.T.seeds should not be used. Big housing
complexes, high rise multi-storey buildings and resorts must be discouraged.
How will such proposals be anti-farmers?
Present violence in
Kerala’s hill tracts are the creation of Christian, mainly Catholic, Chruch.
The Catholic clergy are inciting people for their political gains. The CPM
joins them for a few votes in the coming election. A few weeks ago respectable V.S.Achuthanadan,
the Leader of the Opposition stated that not watered down Kasturirangan Report
but the original Gadgil report must be implemented. Yesterday he somersaulted
and altered his statement that Kasturirangan report should not be implemented
now without proper discussions and consultations etc.
In the last few weeks
the Catholic Bishops and clergy of Thamarassery and Idukki dioceses were
inciting their faithful with provocative speeches and pastoral letters against
the Kasturirangan Report and this has resulted in the widespread violence and
lawlessness in the State. The present political violence reminds me about the
dark days of the so-called Liberation struggle in Kerala in 1958. The only
difference is that then the Communist Party of India was at the receiving end
and now the Communist Party of India (Marxist) and the Catholic Church are on
the same side of the fence.
I am of the
firm opinion that the bishops of Thamarassery and Idukki are incitors of the
arson and violence going on in Kerala and they must be answerable for this. If
the Government of Kerala has the requisite political will power at its command,
I demand that these two bishops be arrested and imprisoned for inciting people
for committing violence. The land and
quarry mafia is behind this strife and it is preplanned. The clear proof for
this is that 12 tipper lorry loaded fully with hooligans hired by them were
sent to Thamarassery for arson and looting. The local League MLA has admitted
this fact. The files of the criminal cases against quarry and land mafia kept
in the forest offices Thamarassery and Wynad were destroyed when these offices
were burnt down.
I
request all my friends who are interested in protecting the ecology and
environment of Western Ghats to spread the message among the peasants in the
area that the recommendations of Gadgil and Kasturirangan Reports are not
against their interests but against the vested interests of quarry and land
mafia.