Thiruvananthapuram | Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Thursday said that instances of human-animal conflict were on the rise in the state, but a major hurdle in dealing with the issue were the wildlife laws enacted by the Congress government led by Indira Gandhi.
Vijayan, at a press conference here, contended that the state government was taking all possible steps to address the increasing instances of human-animal conflict, which requires a permanent solution in view of the loss of lives and property caused by it.
He said that the Forest and Wildlife department has been asked to initiate steps for securing permission from the central government for the killing of wild boars and other wild animals that posed a threat to human life and property.
The Forest Secretary has been tasked to submit a proposal for the necessary legislation in this regard in consultation with the Law Secretary, he added.
"However, some are blaming the state government for such instances with the political aim to mislead the people. Such persons are not ready to examine the facts -- that it is the central laws which are a major hurdle in dealing with the matter.
"Everyone knows that these wildlife laws were brought during the tenure of the Congress government at the Centre under Indira Gandhi in 1972," the CM said.
He was referring to the Wild Life (Protection) Act of 1972 which was enacted for the protection of plant and animal species across India.
He said that the laws passed by the Parliament cannot be amended by the state government and have to be changed by the Centre.
He claimed that the state government has made several requests for amendment to the wildlife laws, but no steps have been taken till now.
Vijayan also said that the guidelines issued by the central government and the National Tiger Conservation Authority to deal with tigers and elephants that encroach into populated areas are "completely impractical".
Thiruvananthapuram | Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Thursday took a dig at his known critic and Trinamool Congress state convenor P V Anvar, saying he was "discarded like a curry leaf".
"There's no need to say much about that person. He was discarded like a curry leaf, wasn't he? That's essentially what happened," the chief minister said, without naming Anvar, while responding to queries during a press conference here.
The phrase "discarded like a curry leaf " is a metaphor used by Vijayan to imply that Anvar was quickly and easily thrown aside or rejected, much like how curry leaves are often plucked and discarded during cooking once their flavour is extracted.
His remarks come as Anvar, who severed ties with the CPI(M)-led LDF and later resigned as the MLA of Nilambur after joining the TMC, is facing hurdles in gaining entry into the Congress-led UDF, even after offering support to the front's candidate for the bypoll to the Nilambur Assembly seat vacated by him.
A two-time MLA and now a Trinamool Congress leader, Anvar had earlier extended support to the Congress-led UDF for the upcoming bypoll, but later exerted pressure regarding its candidate selection.
Anvar has protested against the Leader of the Opposition V D Satheesan for blocking his entry into the UDF and for announcing Congress leader Aryadan Shoukath's candidature for the bypoll, against his wishes.
Vijayan said the Left candidate for Nilambur bypoll will be announced soon.
The Nilambur bypoll will be held on June 19 and the last date for filing nominations is June 2. The results will be announced on June 23.
Thiruvananthapuram | Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Thursday criticised Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar for inviting RSS ideologue S Gurumurthy to address an event, in connection with Operation Sindoor, at Raj Bhavan last week.
"Certainly, that was quite a strange act. It was like a function organised by an RSS man. Our Governor should not have become like that," Vijayan told reporters, reacting to a query on Gurumurthy's participation in the Kerala Raj Bhavan programme on May 21.
Gurumurthy was invited to speak on "Operation Sindoor: Paradigm Shift from Candle Light to BrahMos".
Earlier, the Leader of the Opposition in the Kerala Assembly, V D Satheesan, had also strongly criticised the Raj Bhavan for inviting the RSS ideologue to the function and accused him of making "insulting" comments about former Prime Ministers and past central governments during his talk.
Satheesan had also demanded that the state government register its protest with the Governor.
Gurumuthy is also the editor of Tamil political magazine 'Thuglak.'
The Raj Bhavan has not responded to the Chief Minister's statement.