CPI(M) no-trust move in Elapully panchayat defeated

A no-confidence motion moved by the CPI(M) against the president and vice-president of Elapully grama panchayat was defeated due to lack of quorum on Friday (February 14), as the Congress and BJP members stayed away from discussions.

The CPI(M) move, coming amidst a raging controversy over the government’s decision to sanction a brewery in Elapully, has been perceived as a desperate attempt to divert attention.

In the 22-member panchayat council, it required at least 11 members for a quorum. The Congress’s nine members and the BJP’s five members stayed away to defeat the no-trust motion moved by the eight-member CPI(M).

The Congress and the BJP had asked its members to stay away from discussions on the motion as part of a strategy against the CPI(M).

The Congress, which rules the panchayat, had adopted a resolution against the State government’s decision to permit a brewery in Elapully. It was this resolution that prompted the CPI(M) to move the no-confidence motion against the president and vice-president.

Congress puts up united front

The CPI(M)‘s plan to capitalise on the differences within the Congress in Elappully panchayat did not pay off because of a timely intervention by the Congress district leadership. Following a whip by the District Congress Committee (DCC) to all nine members, the Congress presented a united front, thwarting the CPI(M)‘s attempt to gain an upper hand.

The CPI(M) protested when its motion was defeated by the Congress and the BJP. The CPI(M) alleged it as a united move of the Congress and the BJP.

Meanwhile, the opposition against the proposed liquor plant in Elapully panchayat by Oasis Commercial Pvt Ltd is gaining strength with the Congress and the BJP averring to block it at any cost.

The water shortage in Elapully, one of the rain shadow panchayats in the eastern part of Palakkad district, has been projected as the key reason for opposing the plant. However, the CPI(M) is ballyhooing for the plant, arguing that it will generate more jobs for the people in Elapully.