R. Ajayan, convener of Plachimada Solidarity Committee, reported that Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan has supported the people’s concerns and their protest of the protests of Coke and Pepsi in Kerala.

Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan said here on Monday that "a section of bureaucracy in the Education Department was working against the policy of the Left Democratic Front (LDF) and was helping the self-financing college managements in the State."

Addressing a press conference, the Chief Minister said the Chief Secretary had been told to conduct an inquiry into the action of certain officials of the Education Department on the issue and submit a report within a week. He said stern action would be taken against the guilty.

Answering a question on the measures taken by the Government to meet the threat of closure of colleges by self-financing managements, the Chief Minister said the Government expected this situation and appropriate steps would be taken to ensure that poor students also got a chance to study in these colleges.

He said the LDF Government's policy was to ensure that poor students received chance to study in these self-financing colleges. If the college managements do not cooperate, the Government would have to be firm with them, he said.

The Chief Minister said the Government would soon change the standing counsels so that they could effectively present in court the case of the Government regarding the self- financing college issue. The Chief Minister said there were no differences between him and Finance Minister T.M. Thomas Isaac on the MLA fund issue. The UDF was trying to make political capital out of it, Mr. Achuthanandan said.

The Chief Minister said the Government was closely monitoring the activities of the Coca-Cola unit in Plachimada and the Pepsi Cola unit in Kanjikode. The desire of the people will prevail in these issues, he said.