People's Democracy

Editorial

Kerala Chief Minister Must Resign

THE chief minister of Kerala Oommen Chandy and the UDF government is in the dock after the exposure of the solar panel scam.  The perpetrators of the fraud involving the supply of solar equipments – Biju Radhakrishnan and Saritha Nair – are in jail following complaints from businessmen and others who had been cheated by them.  Soon after, the involvement of the office of the chief minister and the links with Oommen Chandy came to light. Step by step, the trail has led to the chief minister himself.  A personal assistant of the chief minister is now in custody after his links with the scamsters was established.  Three others belonging to the chief minister’s office staff have been removed.  When evidence came to light of the chief minister having a personal involvement in the affair, he sought to deny any links.  But the fact that the chief minister had a one hour discussion with Biju Radhakrishnan and the presence of Saritha Nair in Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi when the chief minister was attending a conference came to light puncturing his denials.

The affair became murkier with the exposure of various telephone calls of the suspects to the home minister and other ministers.

Faced with the relentless demand by the opposition parties to come clean in the matter, the UDF government sought to evade the issue by adjourning the Assembly and then later abruptly terminating it.   The Left Democratic Front demanded a judicial enquiry and the stepping down of the chief minister.  As long as Oommen Chandy continues in office, there can be no impartial enquiry into the matter. 

Mass protests against the solar scam and the involvement of the chief minister have been met with brutal police repression.  A dharna in which the opposition MLAs participated was teargassed affecting the health of the opposition leader V S Achuthanandan and former minister C Divakaran.  All over the state, protests have been met with lathicharges and teargassing. 

The Oommen Chandy government has become synonymous with misrule.  Since it came into office two years ago, suicides by farmers which had ended due to the steps taken by the earlier LDF government, reappeared.  Tribal children have been dying in Attappadi.  The government failed to take any effective steps during the drought and flood. The government embarked on a path of naked appeasement of the caste and communal organisations.

It is in this background that the solar scam has hit the credibility of the UDF government and the chief minister.  Democratic norms and morality require that the chief minister resign forthwith. Kerala is witnessing a resolute mass struggle to ensure that this happens. 

(July 17, 2013)