People's Democracy

Aboo Backer

A STATE convention of the Left Democratic Front (L D F), held at Kochi on October 20, 2001 has called upon the people of Kerala to gear up for a long drawn agitation against the UDF policies of sabotaging the people’s plan programme. It condemned the Antony government's overall thrust against decentralisation of governance.

The convention, which was inaugurated by former chief minister and CPI(M) Polit Bureau member E K Nayanar, has decided to hold a statewide awareness campaign on these issues. As part of this campaign, by November 7, 2001, district level conventions involving people’s representatives and people’s plan campaigners will be held in all the districts of the state. And on November 8th, dharnas will be held before all district collectorates demanding a stop to the government’s efforts to annihilate the people’s plan.

The convention called upon the local bodies and the people’s representatives to continue implementation of the people’s plan programme in a meaningful manner, overcoming the limitations imposed by the UDF government. In the present crisis, artificially created by the UDF government, the local bodies would have to rise to the occasion and formulate creative projects to provide some relief for the people suffering from the anti-people policies of the central and state governments.

The achievements of the last five years of LDF rule in Kerala can be sustained only through creative involvement of the local bodies and the people, opined the convention.

Inspite of UDF's many efforts it has not been able to nullify the people’s plan programme in a manner in which it could nullify the district councils in 1991. But, behind the scene attempts to kill the people’s plan have been intensified. On the one hand it has started parallel authorities for local self-government so as to divert the people’s plan fund while on the other hand it is creating new development authorities to rob the local bodies off their powers. Along with this, the UDF government has also introduced an MLA fund while separating the rural development department from the Panchayati Raj system. The intention is to bring the local self-governance bodies under total control of the bureaucracy.

The training programme to people’s representatives has also been discontinued. It will affect about two-thirds of the local representatives who are new-comers in the field. This measure is intended to weaken these local bodies and label them, at a future date, as inefficient.

This is the game of hide and seek which the UDF is resorting to, in order to annihilate the decentralisation process in general and the people’s plan programme in particular. The LDF convention called upon the people to be vigilant on the evil designs of the UDF and fight their policies.

LDF Convenor, Paloli Mohammedkutty presided over the convention which was attended among others by the leader of opposition in assembly, V S Achuthanandan and leaders of other components of the LDF.