The Hindu : Front Page : Achuthanandan not to withdraw cases

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Sunday, Sep 11, 2005

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Achuthanandan not to withdraw cases

Staff Reporter

THRISSUR: Leader of the Opposition V. S. Achuthanandan has made it clear that there is no question of withdrawing the cases filed by him against the Democratic Indira Congress leader K. Karunakaran in the controversial Palm oil deal and against the Kerala Congress (B) leader R. Balakrishna Pillai in the Edamalayar dam scam.

Mr. Achuthanandan was replying to questions from the reporters here after visiting an exhibition of news photographs arranged by the Thrissur Press Club on Saturday.

He said these cases were filed by him when he found that efforts were being made to weaken them by the ruling United Democratic Front (UDF) leaders at different points of time. "There is no question of withdrawing those cases just because there has been some changes in the political scenario of the country in between. They will take their own course as per the due process of law,'' Mr. Achuthanandan said.

However, he declined to comment on the reported remarks of State secretary of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) Pinarayi Vijayan on issues such as involvement of Mr. Karunakaran in the Emergency excesses or the sensational Rajan case. He also parried questions on the SNV Lavalin case in which he and Mr. Vijayan had made divergent remarks. "I do not want to respond to controversial questions now,'' he said responding to repeated questions on these issues.

Mr. Achuthanandan attacked Chief Minister Oommen Chandy and other UDF leaders for trying to portray the CPI(M) and other opposition parties as `anti-development' groups. "It was the UDF Governments which have been trying to sabotage the growth achieved by the State in various sectors like education.''

The State which had made remarkable achievements by making school education free was now being left at the mercy of profit-mongering operators. The UDF had also been trying to destroy the gains the State had made in land reforms, equitable wages and social justice.

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