KOCHI: Replying to Chief Minister Oommen Chandy’s remarks that he was silent for five years on the Palmolein issue despite being at the helm of the government, Opposition leader V S Achuthanadan stressed that he had always fought to bring out the culprits in the case.Reading out from ‘Kerala Vikasana Sankalpangal’, a collection of his pamphlets published in 2010, the CPM veteran said that he had mentioned the Palmolein controversy in it.“When the Malaysian industry was ready to sell Palmolein for $390, the government agreed to importing it at $410.The agreement has been reached as an out of agenda topic,” he read out from the book.Chandy had alleged that Achuthanandan had not mentioned his name in a book released during his stint as the Chief Minister.Addressing an LDF rally organised as part of campaigning for Piravom bypolls, Achuthanandan alleged that the Chief Minister was simply taking an escapist route.“I had pointed out Chandy’s role in the deal in the Assembly way back in 1992.And I approached the Supreme Court and kept fighting for justice,” he said.He also alleged that the Special Prosecutor in the case had to resign due to pressure from the Chandy government.On the clean chit given to Chandy in the case by the Vigilance Department, Achuthanandan alleged that it was working under the influence of the UDF government headed by Chandy.Stating that the nine-month old Chandy government had done nothing for the poor, the CPM leader said that the condition of farmers in the state was deplorable.“The cases of farmer suicides have gone up as prices of agricultural crops have come down.The spiraling prices of fertilisers have also become a great burden on the farmers,” he said, adding that during the last LDF government, the farmer suicides had come down.He further said that the government did not safeguard the interest of the state.“On the Mullaperiyar issue, the government has failed to come out with a solution.The Prime Minister, who had promised the allparty delegation that the issue would be looked into within a month, had not found any solution even after so many months,” he said.LDF candidate for the bypoll M J Jacob said that the people would surely compare Chandy’s nine-month old government and the fiveyear stint of the LDF government.CPI National Council member K E Ismail, LDF Convenor Vaikom Viswan, Janata Dal leader Jose Thettayil, RSP leader N K Premachandran and several other LDF leaders were also present.
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