Vijayaraghavan’s remarks draw flak

Kasaragod: CPM politburo member A Vijayaraghavan faced severe criticism from the delegates at the CPM Kasaragod district conference over his remarks on the human-wildlife conflict in the state.
Vijayaraghavan had made a comment that the opposition Congress is putting the blame on chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan even if an elephant ventures out of the forest. He said human-wildlife conflict is an issue being faced by people across the country. "Wild elephants roam the city in Karnataka. In Delhi, I read a newspaper report about a leopard sleeping on a bed in an AC room," the CPM leader had said while inaugurating the delegates' meeting held as part of the party conference on Wednesday.
However, the delegates reportedly criticised Vijayaraghavan for treating the matter casually. The delegates said that the rising issue of human-wildlife conflict is a matter of concern across the state. People need a lasting solution, the party members demanded in the presence of Vijayaraghavan.
Meanwhile, the CPM district committee urged the state govt to take immediate action to address the human-wildlife conflict in Kasaragod district. "The district is witnessing rising incidents of wildlife attacks. Farmers are facing severe crisis due to crop loss at the hill areas of the district. The current mechanism of the forest department is not effective in preventing wild animal attack," it said in a statement.
The three-day conference concluded on Thursday with a public meeting held at Kanhangad. Vijayaraghavan inaugurated the meeting.