People's Democracy

 KERALA

 Congress, UDF Face Tough Situation

 S Ramachandran Pillai

IN KERALA, the Congress and the United Democratic Front (UDF) are on the verge of a split. Due to their opportunistic politics and anti-people policies, the Congress-led UDF government is facing a serious crisis. The Congress, under the leadership of A K Antony, brought together all caste and communal forces in Kerala, on the platform of anti-communism, in order to defeat the Left Democratic Front (LDF) in the last assembly elections. It is, however, this same opportunistic anti-communist platform of the UDF that is now cracking up due to its inherent contradictions and fast changing political developments in Kerala. A K Antony's efforts to revive anti-communism to tide over the present crisis cannot succeed in the background of the emerging political situation. Many Congressmen, including a veteran Congress leader K Karunakaran and the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee president K Muralidharan, have publicly come out against A K Antony’s anti-communist posture, stating that anti-communist politics have no relevance in the present political situation. 

Nor are the show cause notices issued by the All India Congress Committee leadership to three of the Congress ministers and one MLA belonging to the different factions likely to succeed to discipline the warring factions. For, the issues involved are not related to only organisational matters but also to political and policy matters. 

WORST EVER GOVERNMENT

The present Antony government in Kerala is considered to be the worst ever government in Kerala. Its track record is dismal in every sphere. Kerala was considered as a land of communal peace. But the UDF government's abject surrender to both majority and minority communalism has upset the tranquil situation in Kerala and led to many communal clashes. During the past two years period of the Congress led UDF rule, 18 persons died in communal clashes. The UDF government failed to take firm steps to control the worsening situation. Antony did not take any action against the trishul distribution functions organised by the VHP. If anything, he came out openly against the use of the word "saffronisation" for characterising the process of communalisation of education, history, etc.  

During the last year, when the Hindu communalists organised an attack in Marad village near Kozhikode, the UDF government did not deem it necessary to take any appropriate actions against the culprits. Then, this year the Muslim communalists retaliated and nine people died in the incident. Fearing reprisal attacks from the majority communalists, many Muslim families had to flee from the area. Earlier, the UDF government did not take any action for rehabilitation of those families who had been uprooted because of the riots, and subsequently surrendered to all the demands of the majority communalists. Nor is the Antony government is taking any action against the communal activities of minority fundamentalist organisations like the PDP, NDF, etc.

The disastrous economic policies pursued by the Antony government have increased the miseries of the common people. In order to get an ADB loan, the UDF government has accepted all its harmful conditionalities. The government is privatising the public sector undertakings. These policies of the government have pushed many traditional industries like coir, cashew, beedi, handloom, fisheries, etc, into a major crisis. Many lakhs of workers have become unemployed, and others are being fleeced by factory owners and middlemen.  The UDF government has refused to take any step to protect the interests of the peasants and agricultural workers who are facing serious difficulties due to the steep fall in the prices of agricultural commodities. The number of suicides by peasants and agricultural workers is on an increase in Kerala.  

PAST GAINS BEING DISMANTLED

The UDF government has imposed a ban on all appointments in government departments and public sector undertakings. Unemployment is growing fast.   Electricity charges have been increased. Kerala's much acclaimed public health system is collapsing due to the wrong policies of the government. The government is consciously promoting private hospitals, taking health care out of the reach of a bulk of the Kerala people.  

The public education system is facing a serious crisis consequent to the efforts of the Antony government to hand over educational institutions to caste and communal organisations and traders. During this year alone, the state government has sanctioned 45 engineering colleges, 5 medical colleges, 19 nursing colleges, 3 pharmacy colleges, 2 dental colleges, 6 ayurvedic colleges, 3 homoeopathic colleges and 38 other art and science colleges --- all in the private sector --- as “self-financing institutions” that charge exorbitant fees. The fees in government colleges also have been substantially increased. If the present trend is allowed to continue, the common people’s children in Kerala may find it difficult to pursue their education. 

The Antony government is also reversing the decentralisation process started by the LDF government. The government has made drastic reductions in the funds allotted to panchayati raj institutions. Nominated boards and authorities are being constituted to take away the powers that were given to the democratically elected bodies. The government is flouting all democratic norms and capturing the governing bodies of cooperative societies by filling their boards with nominated members of its own choice. 

Instead of distributing land to the landless tribals, the UDF government has forcefully evicted them from forest land by resorting to inhuman lathicharges, arson and police firings. Many tribals have died in such incidents. When the opposition demanded a judicial inquiry into these incidents, the government let loose a reign of terror to suppress the opposition’s demand. 

The attitude of the UDF government has always been undemocratic. This government has constantly ignored the demands of the people and tried to suppress the people's movements by using brutal police repression. Many MPs, MLAs, other elected representatives, leaders and workers belonging to the opposition political parties have suffered serious injuries in police firings and lathicharges. Not surprisingly, therefore, more and more people are now rallying together against the UDF government. The results of the recently held parliamentary byelection in Ernakulam and the byelections to local bodies are indicators of this very development. The growing anger of the people against the UDF and its government have begun to influence even the leaders and followers of the UDF.

INFIGHTING INTENSIFIES

The Congress in Kerala has always been a factionally divided party. At present, there are five known Congress factions in Kerala, working openly against one another. The two major factions are those led by A K Antony and by K Karunakaran. The other factions are led by AICC general secretary Vayalar Ravi, AICC joint secretary Ramesh Chennithala and Kerala assembly speaker Vakkam Purushothaman. On all earlier occasions, the anti-CPI(M) sentiments were roused as the virtually only means to keep the different factions together and maintain unity. 

In the context of the growing opposition of the people against the anti-people and opportunistic policies of the UDF government, the factional fight inside the Congress and the contradictions in the UDF is assuming a political content. Karunakaran and his friends are openly criticising the policies of the UDF government such as its anti-labour attitude, surrender to majority and minority communalism, privatisation of the public sector undertakings, refusal to protect the interests of the peasants, use of police force against political opponents, etc. They have also strongly criticised the conduct of the present Kerala assembly speaker Vakkam Purushothaman for his public campaign in support of the UDF candidate in the recently held Ernakulam byelection. Some leaders of the other constituents of the UDF have also expressed their reservations and criticisms about the style of functioning of the chief minister A K Antony. They have given sufficient indications that they are with Karunakaran and against Antony.

Karunakaran is openly campaigning for a change in chief ministership, that is, for removal of Antony from power. He has made it clear that he and his friends will continue their campaign till Antony is replaced. Now he is busy organising district level conventions of his supporters who are, in these conventions, openly denouncing the policies of Antony and the present UDF government. The Antony faction is also organising parallel conventions to counter the efforts of the Karunakaran faction. 

In the 140-member legislative assembly in Kerala, the UDF has the support of 100 members (one of whom died recently) and LDF has the support of 40 members. Support of at least 71 members is needed for adoption of a no confidence motion in the legislative assembly. Though it seems difficult at the moment, the people in Kerala will certainly be happy if the Antony government falls.   

It is in this context that the LDF has made it clear that it will help those secular forces who come out of the UDF and thereby facilitate the fall of the A K Antony government. In the UDF, it is mainly the Antony faction and the Indian Union Muslim League that are actively campaigning for protecting the UDF government. The available indications show that the situation may continue till the results of the impending assembly elections in five states and the byelection in Thiruvella assembly constituency in Kerala are out. The AICC leadership is also waiting for these results. Yet, as matters stand at present, it is very difficult to avoid a split in the Congress and the UDF.