Vijayan knew about tree-felling order at Mullaperiyar dam: Cong

Thiruvananthapuram, Nov 12 Questioning the silence of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan over the now controversial cancellation of the order to fell trees on Tamil Nadu's request to strengthen the baby dam near the ageing Mullaperiyar dam, leader of opposition V.D. Satheesan on Friday said the CM's silence was deliberate and showed that he has something to hide.

"Even though Vijayan's cabinet colleagues are speaking different things on the same order, the real truth of the matter is that everything was known by Vijayan and that's why he is trying to remain silent. Vijayan knew everything about the order which came out and following a furore, it was first freezed and then cancelled," said Satheesan to the media on Friday.

"How many times in the just concluded Assembly session I asked for Vijayan's response and not a single time did he speak and he continues to remain silent.

Principal Chief Conservator of Forests Bennychen P. Thomas has been suspended as he had brought out the order.

The fiasco started on last Sunday, when a thanks letter from Vijayan's counterpart from Tamil Nadu M.K.Stalin expressing thanks to Vijayan for allowing felling of the trees, became public.

State Forest Minister A.K. Saseendran, who first froze the Forest Department's order to fell trees and then cancelled the order, said he has had no clue of such an order and how it came, but he has seen the order.

Then came the statement of Water Resources Minister and Idukki resident - Roshy Augustine (where the dam is situated) who said no such meeting has ever taken place and none of his department officials have taken part.

But soon Augustine felt the heat when the relevant documents of the meeting came out.

"It's most unfortunate that a young Minister like Augustine has lost his face and it is best he puts in his papers," added Satheesan.

There has been all-round flak against Vijayan, who has always taken to his Facebook, especially when there is some statement to be made for praising Kerala or when he wishes to attack the Congress or the BJP. But for the past nearly one week, despite numerous attempts by the Congress-led opposition in the floor of the Assembly questioning his silence on the tree felling order, he has not spoken a word.

Satheesan has reacted sharply to the statement of A.Vijayaraghavan, the Left Democratic Front convenor, who said that in Kerala we have a very strong government that anyone (Bennychan P.Thomas) who does things against the wishes of the government will have to pay the price.

"It's sad that all the recent statements made by Vijayaraghavan have made him a laughing stock of the CPI-M. It's not just the opposition who are saying it, numerous CPI-M leaders have also started expressing the same thoughts," said Satheesan.

Meanwhile, an old video of Vijayan in a human chain has gone viral on Social media. It shows the then CPI-M state secretary Vijayan taking part in a human chain on December 8, 2011, from near the Mullaperiyar dam site to the Arabian sea at Kochi a 208 km stretch taking a pledge demanding a new dam at Mullaperiyar.

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