“I will not leave this place. This is my land. I was born here. Generations together we have lived here. If you want to take this land ....

Thiruvananthapuram: The CPI-M in Kerala is perhaps not very far from its cousins in West Bengal when it comes to dealing with land.

A party that once prided itself on being the party of the landless, is now fast assuming the image of a big money spinning machine, all pointing to an unholy alliance with the land mafia.

Till about a year ago Adivasis were resisting the ruling CPM cadre's efforts to evict them from their farms in Kerala's Arlam.

Adivasi Ramu Moopan had said, “I will not leave this place. This is my land. I was born here. Generations together we have lived here. If you want to take this land away from me you have to first kill me.”

But that was a year ago. The defiance and the adivasis farms have both become history.