Kerala Chief Minister Achuthanandan's reference to a 'dog' stirs a hornets' nest: news
Every dog has a day...!
IS V S ACHUTHANANDAN meeting his nemesis? In the past few decades VS has proved himself to be the greatest political survivor, and his most surprising act would always remain the way he bounced back to the electoral combat in 2006 when his entire party State leadership made every effort to throw him out.
They failed. Because they were seen by the public as a gang of power-hungry clowns who were afraid of the popularity of this Communist who was unafraid of the high and mighty, who challenged them openly and defiantly. His party State leaders never calculated his staying power, his links to the masses and finally in the showdown, they blinked. They had to beat a hasty retreat when party cadres and masses launched demonstrations and agitations all over the State protesting against the party decision to keep him out of the race.
That put pressure on the national leadership and Prakash Karat announced his return to the race. Ever since there has been a running battle, between the State leaders and VS and in fact the State administration has been a victim of this low intensity warfare.
Most often VS won these battles, and in the past two and a half years of his rule, people also generally kept their faith with him.
But do they now, do they feel he is the trusted leader any longer?
The indications are that most people are now disenchanted with Achuthanandan and even the rebels in the party who supported him are no longer putting much faith in him. Janasakthi, the weekly magazine that was launched by them, has been folded up and the small groups that sprang up in various parts of the State are no longer looking up to him for leadership. He seems to have been hoodwinked by his own success.
And anyone who fails to watch his steps falls, and in politics it is doubly so. Last week we saw his antics over the visit to the slain Malayali soldier Sandeep Unnikrisihnan where he made his unnecessary and uncalled for reference to a dog in a televised interview. Watching him on the TV, I wondered why did he make this reference. It was absolutely unnecessary.
Then Prakash Karat termed it unfortunate in a statement. VS in the Assembly said Karat had misunderstood, but finally had to succumb and offer his unconditional apologies under pressure from party national leadership. It was fiasco beyond doubt.
Now comes the behind-the-back attack from his own hand-picked secretaries who say they are not responsible for the goings on in his office. It is a coterie or kitchen cabinet that decides things there. And everyone knows who this coterie is consisted of: People who were thrown out of the party, people who are opposed to the party and some media-persons who were working to split the party...
Now what will the Chief Minister do? Get rid of them or go down the gutter with them? It is a million dollar question, as they say.
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