Form panel to find permanent solution for Inam land disputes, CPI(M) urges Tamil Nadu CM Vijay

Published 15 July 2026 · local

Communist Party of India (Marxist) State secretary P. Shanmugam, on Wednesday (July 15, 2026), met Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay at the Secretariat

Communist Party of India (Marxist) State secretary P. Shanmugam, on Wednesday (July 15, 2026), met Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay at the Secretariat in Chennai and presented him with a slew of demands, including the formation of a commission to arrive at a permanent solution for disputes related to Inam lands. Speaking to reporters, Mr. Shanmugam welcomed the State government’s recent order unblocking Inam lands in Karur district and said those lands had been wrongly portrayed as temple lands, leading to a ban on their registration. He said not all Inam lands were temple lands and accused Hindutva organisations of spreading false propaganda.

He said though the government order related to Karur was a bold step, many such cases were still pending. He said his party had urged the Chief Minister to constitute a separate commission to arrive at a permanent solution for people residing on and cultivating Inam lands across Tamil Nadu. Referring to a recent Supreme Court order directing the eviction of people living in forest areas in the Kalakkad-Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve, Srivilliputhur-Megamalai Tiger Reserve, and parts of Kanniyakumari district, he termed the verdict “highly condemnable”. He also criticised the observation of the apex court that Central Reserve Police Force personnel could be deployed if the Tamil Nadu government did not cooperate in implementing the order, saying it reflected an “anti-people approach.” He said the party had brought the issue to the Chief Minister’s attention.

Alleging that the Forest Rights Act, 2006, had not been effectively implemented in Tamil Nadu, he said only about 36,000 families had been granted pattas over the past 20 years. He said the CPI(M) had repeatedly urged previous Chief Ministers to implement the Act, following which pattas were issued only in some areas. He urged the Tamil Nadu government to file a review petition before the Supreme Court and expedite the implementation of the provisions of the Forest Rights Act. Shanmugam also urged the State government to rename ‘Paraicheri’, a village inhabited by Scheduled Caste residents in Virudhunagar district, as Vadakku Acham Thavizhthaan, a demand raised by villagers for the past 15 years.

He said the CPI(M) had not taken any decision with respect to contesting byelections and local body polls.