A strong lobby in UDF is believed to be behind Government chief whip P.C. George, who has come out openly against forest minister K.B. Ganesh Kumar in the Cherunelli Estate issue.
Mr Ganesh Kumar told the assembly on Tuesday that 273 acres on Nelliyampathy Hills would be taken back as the lease period had ended.
But Mr George blasted Mr Kumar saying that it was not the decision of the UDF and a ruling front sub-committee was formed to study the plight of the “poor farmers”.
The 36 lessees of Cherunelli Estate have been farming three to 30 acres for decades and any decision by the government to compensate the farmers there could set a precedent and may help larger lessees.
“Thousands of acres of government land have been leased out in various parts of the state. And in all these cases, it could be cited as a precedent or could help these lessees fight government evacuation legally,” said a source in the UDF.
According to him, the sub-committee was formed when the issue came before the UDF. “It’s a practice in UDF to form committees to study issues.
But in this case, the committee has not met even once and no decision has been taken. The minister only followed the law.”
All indications are that chief minister Oommen Chandy would not back Mr George as it would be politically damaging to his government, surviving on a small margin.