LDF seeing reason Monday, Jun 15 2009

The LDF is seeing reason. However, it is still far from convinced that the Governor R. S. Gavai did his constitutional duty.

Egged by parties such as the CPI and RSP, the CPI (M) has resolved itself to take the legal course in the SNC Lavalin case win which party State secretary Pinarai Vijayan is the seventh accused. They still say that the Governor acted without authority. According to the CPI (M), the Governor is an official of the Central Government. If it cared to look at the Constitution, it can be seen that the Governor is not an official but a Constitutional authority and Supreme Court verdicts show that he had discretionary powers to allow the prosecution of Mr. Vijayan disregarding the opinion of the Cabinet.

All this shows that the LDF is far from redeeming itself after the crushing defeat in the Lok Sabha elections. Though they acknowledge that the SNC Lavalin case played a role in their losing public support, they are unwilling to change their policies. Instead, they are trying to hoodwink the public by raising technicalities of the Governor’s decision.

It is also notable that a section of the leaders in both the CPI and the RSP is in favour of the line of official faction of the CPI (M). This is suppressing a rebellion by the others.

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UDF imposes another hartal on the people Wednesday, May 6 2009

The Congress led United Democratic Front in Kerala is imposing another hartal on the people for its own failures.

The hartal is in protest against the Cabinet’s recommendation to the Governor against prosecution of the CPI (M) State secretary Pinarai Vijayan in the SNC Lavalin corruption case. The case pertains to the period when Pinarai was the Power Minister in the LDF Cabinet that came to power a decade ago. After that, the UDF had ruled the State for five years.

Five years was enough time for the government to conclude an investigation and permit prosecution. But the UDF Government was keen on withdrawing the Palmolein corruption case against Congress leader K. Karunakaran rather than pursuing the case against Pinarai, especially when the present Opposition Leader Oommen Chandy was the Chief Minister.

After the investigation was entrusted to the CBI, the Congress had been in power at the Centre. However, the CBI sat on the investigation as along as the CPI (M) was supporting the Government at the Centre. Then, it acted and sought sanction from the Governor for the prosecution, which he referred to the Government.

The Advocate General, who is a political nominee of the CPI (M) has given a legal opinion against prosecution despite the CBI listing Pinarai as the ninth accused after an investigation supervised by the courts. The CPI (M) intervened to force the decision by the Cabinet against feeble objections raised by the Chief Minister.

The case has never been vigourously by the Congress. Now, in view of media criticism about its dilly dallying, the party is imposing another hartal on the people. Thus both the UDF and LDF becoming party to subversion of rule of the law in the State.

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Major upheaval in LDF likely Monday, Apr 27 2009

AKG Centre, Trivandrum

A major upheaval is likely in the LDF if the Lok Sabha election results go heavily against the Front.

Depending on the gravity of voters’ verdict, it could even lead to disintegration of the Front. Half of the Janata Dal is already out of the Front. The contours of the split would be decided by the gravity of the verdict.

The CPI may find it untenable to continue in the Front if it loses all the four seats it contested. Some of the Cabinet Ministers are already in the winding up mode, foreseeing a Cabinet reshuffle.

The CPI (M) is going to see the bitterest of the wrangles. While one group would want Chief Minister V. S. Achuthanandan to quit, some others may want the party secretariat members to return to their organisational jobs and build the party for the next elections. State secretary Pinarai Vijayan is not easily going to give up control of the party  even in the face of a serious upset.

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Communalising politics Tuesday, Mar 24 2009

What the political parties in Kerala has achieved over the last 60 years is to increasingly communalise politics in the State.

It was no secret that all the political parties considered communal factors in fielding candidates for elections from the forties. The Congress developed it into an art by working out complex arrangements to achieve balance. CPI (M) leader E. M. S. Namboodiripad gave a new leash of life to the Muslim League, which Nehru had called the dead horse, in Kerala. It is not mere coincidence that the same party is now promoting the PDP.

The results of decades of communal pampering is that religions and communal outfits have become more demanding. The PDP is arm twisting everyone. The Catholic Church, which used to pay at least lip service to the principle of separation of the Church and the State, is now openly making demands for specific candidates. The Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church has gone a step further by proposing to field candidates. Other churches are also on the path of doing what they can. The CPI (M) is embracing both the right wing Jana Paksham and the PDP.

In this scenario, traditional communal outfits such as the Muslim Leauge, NSS and SNDP and even the RSS appear to be dwarfed.

The CPI (M)’s truck with the PDP reminds one of the Congress leader Indira Gandhi promoting Bindranwala in Punjab against the Akalis. It would not be long before such elements turn against those who mollycoddled them. At least UDF covnenor P. P. Thankanchan who printed the photo of PDP leader Abdul Nasir Maudhani on his campaign poster would have realised that by now.

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Road policy shy of expressway Wednesday, Feb 11 2009

The draft Road Policy, released by the Government recently, is shy of clear proposal on the proposed expressway from Kasaragod to Trivandrum.

The proposal for an expressway, mooted by former Minister P. J. Joseph in the LDF Government, had attracted much criticism when the UDF Government went ahead with the plans. Apart from criticism on environmental grounds, one factor that turned away many from the proposal was the talk about commissions and real estate deals behind the project and issues of land acquisition. In fact, corruption had become a bane of almost all major projects in the State.

However, express highway is something needed by the State, considering the growth of cars and other vehicles in the State. If the government is unwilling to develop express way on some valid grounds, it should take steps to discourage the shift towards two wheelers and cars and encourage mass transport. However, the government is not willing to do either. It did not want to touch the car manufacturers on the wrong side. Nor is it willing to face public wrath over land acquisition and other criticism.

Corridor
The Public Works Minister in the UDF Government M. K. Muneer tried to wriggle around the problem renaming the expressway as access controlled corridor. The present Government is claiming that the North-South road transport corridor proposed in the Policy is not the same as the expressway.

As the policy notes, the coastal and midland region of the state contains nearly 76 percent of the state’s population and contributes to a similar share of the gross state domestic product. Hence, development of a corridor through the midland region is a must unless the State is to face serious traffic jams. It is important that the North Kerala should have fast access to the South and the capital city.

Hill highway
However, development of missing links and improvement of existing roads along the Hill Highway is unnecessary. The population in the hilly areas is limited and there is little need for North South movement along the hills. What are needed are East-West roads connecting the hilly areas to the midlands and the coast. These should also carefully developed not to cause any pressure on the remaining forests on the Western Ghats.

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Mayawati’s forey into Kerala Sunday, Dec 28 2008

U. P. Chief Minister Mayawati

Bahujan Samajvadi Party’s forey into Kerala is unlikely to succeed at this juncture. Party leader and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati had undertaken a well planned tour of Southern States including Kerala. However, she is unlikely to find political space in State politics dominated by the United Democratic Front (UDF) and the Left Democratic Front (LDF)

Because of their ties with BSP at the national level, the Left parties would come under some compulsion to accommodate the BSP in the LDF. However, it is in the interest of the CPI (M) in Kerala that it did not create a competitor for its base among the backward classes. It would not be near impossible for the BSP to press for accommodation, especially when it comes to seat sharing for the Lok Sabha elections, since the party has hardly established any base in Kerala.

The BSP had been fielding candidates in the Lok Sabha elections from Kerala for long. However, its votes had hardly ever exceeded a few thousand votes. Its votes share has been just 0.50 per cent. (This, however, marked a three to four fold increase from vote share in the previous elections when party’s votes hardly ever exceeded the three digit figures.) As of now, she would not be able to improve upon it significantly without getting into coalition politics in Kerala.

The UDF and LDF has fairly good base among dalit communities and they are trying to consolidate that base further. Mayawati has apparently realised that the LDF would not relish her eating into their base. So, she sought to appeal to economically backward among the forward classes by speaking for job reservation for them. In Uttar Pradesh, she had been expanding her appeal to forward classes. However, her stand in favour of reservation for the economically backward classes goes against the basic Constitutional tenet on reservation which is based on social and educational backwardness.

Though reservation based on economic status would appeal to organisations like the NSS, they are not going to put their eggs in Mayawati’s basket unless she demonstrates her prowess in the State. This, as mentioned before, will be an uphill task. The kind of politics that leads to killing PWD engineer by politicians for refusal to pay political contributions is not going to appeal to Keralites. The State leader of the party A. Neelalohitadasan Nadar too lacks a good image.

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Worst performing Minister of LDF Cabinet Sunday, May 11 2008

The New Indian Express is asking its readers to select the worst performing Minister in the LDF ministry. Well, hardly any Minister is up to the mark. However, the Chief Minister should be considered as the worst performing Minister in the Cabinet. He is their leader or at least first among equals.

As one who heads the Cabinet, he has failed to ensure collective responsibility. More than that he has failed to push forward hardly any of the agenda he had put before the people when he was Leader of the Opposition.

Look at the following:

• No progress in action against plantation companies and others whom he accused of encroachment into Government land.
• No action against encroachers of beaches at Kovalam and other places.
• No progress in getting back Halcyon Palace, Kovalam.
• No improvement in investigation of crimes against women. Though he boycotted an actor, he has been acquitted by the courts. Sari’s parents now accuse him of complicity in suppressing investigation.
• No conviction in corruption cases highlighted by him.
• No improvement in the conduct of forest cases. Prosecution still fails to argue cases properly.
• No action against illegal/irregular lotteries and cheating by lottery mafia.
• No solution to inter-State water disputes with Tamil Nadu. On the other hand, the Chief Minister agreed to bind Kerala to supply water from Neyyar.
• Full-fledged rehabilitation of endosulfan victims is yet to become a reality (though some efforts had been made in that direction).
• None had been punished in the kidney racket cases.
• There is no notable improvement in the plight of tribals.
• All tribals are yet to get land.
• No action taken against encroachment at Pooyankutty.
• Accidents rates increased in quarries that breached the law.
• Conversion of paddy fields and leveling of hills continue.
• Did not succeed in checking cost escalation of Kerala Transport Project.
• All the mafias are at large.

Ana Koduthalum Asa Kodukkaruthu: Gift an elephant, but don’t give hope if you cannot fulfill it. The Chief Minister ignored that Malayalam saying and kept none of his election promises.

However, it ought to be acknowledged that he struck a better deal for Smart City and achieved some progress in introduction of free software in Government departments and agencies.

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LDF celebrates two years of infigting Saturday, May 10 2008

The Left Democratic Front government is “celebrating” its second anniversary this month, though there is nothing to celebrate.

The ministry had long lost collective responsibility. The infighting in CPI (M) and fight between the CPI (M) and CPI on issues range from the silly (who gets credit) to the serious (Budget allocations, corruption) have stalled many initiatives of the Government.

The fight had started with the allocation of portfolios to the Ministers itself. The first casualty was perhaps the environment policy. Then the eviction of encroachers at places such as Munnar and Vagamon, administration of the Devaswom Board, Kisansree project, policy on sale of land belonging to the Merchiston estate were hit by differences in the ministry and the Front.

The latest is the stalling of integrated food security project and the competition to buy rice from West Bengal. (It is too early to predict the results of the last adventure— teams sent by the CPI (M) Minister for Cooperation and CPI Minister for Food and Civil Supplies were in West Bengal, scouting for rice. The CPI (M) team is said to have secured some rice through CPI (M) leaders in West Bengal. The fate of team sent by the CPI Minister is not yet known). Not to be behind, the RSP stalled moved to declare protected area in Vembanad lake.

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