People's Democracy

KERALA NEWLETTER

CMO’s Camera Records Payoff Visuals

N S Sajith

THE much hyped 24x7 open chief minister’s office through the live streaming system has boomeranged upon the UDF government as a camera of the system clicked the visuals of bribery. Two officers of the chief minister Oommen Chandi’s office were sent back to their old office in the wake of the footage being leaked. 

These officers are Sunil Kumar and K Ramesh, both of whom are active workers of the pro-Congress NGO Association. They They have been working as the CM’s personnel staff right from Chandi became the chief minister and were caught red-handed by a camera in the CM’s office used for live streaming.

A live streaming system was installed in the CM’s office in the name of establishing transparency in its functioning. A compact disc containing the footages of the payoff has already reached in CM’s table.

Though a case under the provisions of anti-corruption law could be registered, no action has been taken so far. The chief minister, as the boss of the office and as one who is responsible for referring the case to the police, seems to be protecting his staff. 

It is also a known fact that these two persons have been giving the secret details of the files in CM’s office to interested persons. Ramesh worked in the computer cell of the CM’s private secretary. 

On November 3, Opposition leader V S Achuthanandan said in his reaction that these footages were only the tip of the iceberg. Small fishes have been caught this time but Bigwigs are yet to be apprehended, he added.

UNSAFE

FOR WOMEN

While the state of Kerala has been boasting of the high presence of educated and empowered women, it is now faced with a high rate of atrocities against women and children. The recent statistics in regard to Kerala show that it is not a safe place for women and girls. In the backdrop of the molestation of Sunanda Pushkar, the wife of Sasi Tharoor (minister of state for human resources development, by some Youth Congress activists), the rising cases of child rape and atrocities against women have become a big theme of public discussion. Though the mainstream media have pushed the ugly Sunanda episode to the background, new media and especially the Facebook and twitter are now full of discussions on this issue.

According to the statistics released by the Kerala Police, child rape cases have increased over the last 19 months when the Congress led United Democratic Front (UDF) has been at the helm of affairs. The latest report of the police says that 210 child rape cases were reported till June in 2012, as against 423 child rape cases reported in all of 2011 and 208 reported in all of 2010. In 2008 and 2009, the rape cases were 215 and 235 respectively.

In this period the number of crimes against children was 625, which included 18 murders and 60 kidnappings.

The plight of women in the state is more pathetic than before. Twenty cases of crimes against women are registered in the police stations of Kerala each day, as per the statistics provided by the State Crime Records Bureau of Kerala Police. In all, 6,798 cases were registered only in the first six months of this year.

The statistics of the last two years are also shocking, as they show a sudden leap in the number of crimes. Last year 13,279 such cases were registered in comparison with the 10,781 cases registered in 2010. In contrast, the total number of cases registered in the preceding five years was 9,381. 

Earlier, the National Crime Records Bureau too had found Kerala unsafe for women, as the state has a crime rate higher than that in the national capital, Delhi.

CONGRESSMEN MOLEST

SUNANDA PUSHKAR

Showing the real face of Congress culture, Youth Congress workers molested Sunanada Pushkar, wife of central minister Sasi Tharoor, in the state capital, Thiruvananthapuram, on October 30. Sunanda was molested at the Thiruvananthapuram International Airport where Congress workers had gathered to give a ‘warm reception’ to Tharoor who was a newly appointed minister of state in the Ministry of Human Resources Development (MHRD) on the day before. Sunanda, who was accompanying Tharoor in a crowd, slapped one of the Congress workers and shouted upon the troublemakers. A depressed Sunanda wept and called them ‘beggars’ and ‘dogs.’

The worker who received a mark of the Congress symbol on his face soon disappeared in the crowd. In the meanwhile some senior Congress workers guarded Sunanda and saved her from further humiliation. A motorcade took the minister to the DCC office for a reception meeting, as Sunanda went home and did not attend the meeting.

The assault on the lady occurred in presence of the police, but the latter did not even tried to protect her.

On the same Tuesday, K K Shailaja, Kerala state secretary of the All India Democratic Women’s Association, demanded that the government take stringent action against the Congress workers who molested the wife of the central minister. The incident has brought shame to the state, she said.

Pinarayi Vijayan, state secretary of the CPI(M), said the real face of the Congress was once again exposed by this incident. Formerly, the wife of senior Congress leader Oscar Fernandes was also assaulted by some Congressmen in Kerala, he recalled. P K Sreemathi, former minister, said that this incident showed how insecure women are in the state.

On his part, Sasi Tharoor too has demanded stringent action against the persons who molested his wife.