So Is It the End of the Road for Comrade V S Achuthanandan?

SO FINALLY, has comrade V S Achuthanandan been shown his place? Can we say the four-day efforts of the special politburo followed by an urgent session of the central committee of the CPM, which announced his expulsion from the PB, and then a three-day session of the party state committee, found an effective antidote to the inimitable comrade’s antics; a way to defang this valiant fighter?

On last Sunday, when the CPM central leadership announced this decision from the PB, I had to spend many hours in the various news channel studios discussing the pros and cons of the disciplinary action against Achuthanandan. In fact I was at Asianet News at about 12.30 noon and then I had to attend sessions at other channels like India Vision and Manorama News and again around 8.30 pm I returned to Asianet from where I finally emerged at 10.30 at night. During this ten hour period, Comrade Achuthanandan had been expelled from the PB, he had left Delhi and landed at Thiruvananthapuram Airport, making just one comment in the meanwhile: I do accept this decision of the party and there is no change in my position on SNC lavalin case. There was nothing more, nothing less.

And from the next day started the three-day session of the state party meetings, which concluded yesterday. CPM general secretary Prakash Karat has been present in the state meetings and he is scheduled to address the lower level party workers meetings in all three regions starting from Kochi today. All these elaborate arrangements are being made to convince the party rank and file that the action against the veteran leader, the only surviving Kerala leader from the 32-member group who walked out the CPI’s national council session in 1964, thus launching the CPM in a historic split in the Indian Communist movement.

We have very little information on what transpired at all these secret meetings in Delhi and the state capital, but news media says that there were severe differences of opinion in the top leadership including PB and CC, and also there were a few voices of dissent even in the state unit which generally supports the official leadership in Kerala.

I am not going to speculate on what would be the end result of all these expulsions and disciplinary actions in the Communist Party (Marxist.) But I had to react to it while discussing it in the news channels. One of the points I raised was that the situation in the party and the issues thrown up were not going to be solved through disciplinary action against one individual; they needed a thorough examination and soul-searching in the public space. The effort to stifle any dissent, through an expulsion form PB, was bound to be counter-productive and I felt since this was a most anti-democratic and one-sided step on the party of the leadership, it was a black day in the history of the left movement in this country.

People like comrade M M Lawrence, a veteran now humbled through factional activity in the party, opposed and even ridiculed me but I still feel that the issues raised by VS in the past and the differences which resulted in his expulsion from PB, would not go away. They are substantive issues of public accountability on the part of public individuals and the only way the party could tackle it is through the normal, democratic ways like fighting in a court of law. The party now says they would fight it; but I am doubtful how far the party would be able to convince the masses that they have nothing to hide in this most unhappy affair.

Why the Budget has Come as a Surprise to the Corporate Sharks?

IT WAS amusing to watch the free fall of sensex on the budget day even as Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee was going ahead reading out his pro-poor, pro-welfare proposals. It was amusing the corporate sharks were so disappointed with the budget, as they were expecting the earth and heavens this time.

I think there was another reason too for the disappointment with the Government and the sensex reaction on the budget day. From the day the Manmohan Singh Government was known to have won the poll, there was a concerted effort on the part of the corporate media and its in-house intellectuals and opinion-makers to present the victory as the vindication of the neo-liberal, pro globalization policies of the Government.

In fact, there was an effort to run down the pro-poor policies that the Government had undertaken as of no consequence. In fact some of these policies, mainly the National Rural Employment Generation programme, were written off as a concession to the left parties who were supporting the Government. Since the Government had received sufficient numbers this time, they had no reason to seek left support and so it was time to go for a an all out, no holds barred free run for the capital, it was argued. They had even set an agenda for the Government and I remember some of the national channels spent a lot of prime time promoting this special agenda of their choice.

But the budget proposals give out the clear message that the Congress has a leadership which is more sensible and more down to earth than some of our corporate media chaps could ever imagine. In fact, the Government has proved two things:

First, that the Congress would actually claim the goodwill that the past pro-poor actions has generated and would continue to keep on this line because it is a sure vote winner at least for the time being.

Secondly, it would not allow the left to arrogate the pro-poor image that they had enjoyed so long and claim credit for all the pro-poor actions that the past government had undertaken. It is evident that Pranab Mukherjee has gone further in this budget even without the much hyped prodding from the left this time.

And the consequence of this is very serious: The left on the one hand, is losing the constituency they had among the poor with their actions like land grab and violence on the poor in places like Singur, Nandigram and Lalgarh, while, on the other, the Congress generally has been able to steer clear of such violent confrontations. They are emerging better managers of political and economic crises while the comrades seem to have lost themselves with no clear policy framework.

Comrades, Leave the Governor Alone and Face the Corruption Case in Court

The decision of Kerala Governor R S Gavai to give green signal to the CBI for the prosecution of CPM state secretary and politburo member Pinarayi Vijayan in the SNC Lavalin corruption case has now raised a debate on the issue of the constitutional validity of the action of the governor. The CPM and some legal experts like Justice V R Krishna Iyer say that this is a clear violation of the principles of federalism enshrined in the Indian Constitution and hence violate the constitutional scheme of things.

I think the Constitution is not a dead and static body of legal cliche’s that can be used to defend any malpractices on the part of public persons. It has to be interpreted with the best interests of a society that seeks decent and responsible governance.

Here we will have to ask a few questions:

How did the cabinet recommendation reach the Governor that no permission be given for prosecution in the case? It was under external pressure. There is sufficient evidence that a party to the criminal conspiracy had been involved in it and hence the cabinet decision was not a normal, democratic and constitutional action. The Governor had to take a decision in the issue and prima facie he had every reason to believe that the cabinet recommendation and the AG's report on which it was purportedly based, were not proper because they were not taken without "fear or favour."

Was the Governor acting according to his own whims and fancies? It would be a wrong to think the Governor had any axe to grind here, because right from the beginning the case was not a politically motivated one: It was the constitutional bodies like the CAG that unearthed it and it was later the Kerala High Court which demanded the reluctant CBI to look Into the political aspects of the case.

My point is that the CPM's present position, attacking the Governor for overstepping his duties in our federal system, is specious. To my mind, the Governor had to take into view all players in our constitutional system, namely the judiciary and the people's verdict. The judiciary had been monitoring the case and hence it is bound to go back to the same judiciary for final adjudication. No amount of political pressure can be allowed to subvert the judicial process and rule of law. If that were the case, the Governor would have been accused of abdicating his role as the custodian of the Constitution.

Now about the people's verdict: There was no referendum on the issue of the trial in the recent elections, but the present verdict has in many ways expressed the people's resentment over the way the State is being governed. It also gave a clean chit to the Centre which runs the CBI and other agencies now being castigated as politically motivated agencies. Hence, no charge of political vendetta can stick and if any, the verdict can only be interpreted the other way round, as a verdict in favour of a trial .

And finally, do the Governors behave as they used to in the past, as viceroys of the Centre nowadays? There is no such case in recent past and remember no one dares to play with Art. 356 today, unlike the Indira and Rajiv days. Frankly, I feel this is no occasion to castigate the Governor as an agent of the centre. The CPM argument that Governor did play havoc with Constitution and federalism simply does not wash because he took the totality of the situation into view and decided in the best interests of the people whose money is involved here. In no way it can be construed as a subversion of our lofty constitutional principles. No amount of federalism can be a justification or an alibi for excusing the plunder of national resources by interested parties.

Now India Gets a New Ministry that is Likely to Deliver

Dear doctor, give berths to my son, daughter, nephew and our servants too...!

POLITICS, AS the good doctor Manmohan Singh says, is the art of the possible. There is always the game of the pragmatist in it, howsoever much you might wish ideals had an upper hand.

Last time when Dr Manmohan Singh was asked to lead the United Progressive Alliance Government as Prime Minister, I think he realized it from day one. You think of the mandate you were given by the people, how to keep the promise given to them, and how to govern a country almost on the brink.

And your allies, I use the term for want of a better term to describe the partners in a political alliance, have other ideas: They are thinking about the berths they should get, the portfolios they should target for and the sons, daughters and nephews and nieces to be accommodated in ministerial berths.

Last time it was so, and this time too the same was the fate of the government at the centre. Muthuvel Karunanidhi, Shibu Soren and others were demanding all kinds of berths and accommodations last time; they threatened and cajoled, threw many tantrums and played many games, and got away with what they wanted and of course in the course of five years of rule made a mess of many departments that the stink is felt even in Delhi gullies.

Thankfully, people found a solution themselves in the case of Soren who was trounced in the polls. However, Karunanidhi did his best to see the tradition is kept alive: He was eager his son, daughter, nephew and the two chaps known for corruption be accommodated in the ministry. He has walked out and even boycotted the swearing-in ceremony on Friday.

Sure, this will be sorted out because without those government berths and ministerial posts, what is DMK or for that matter, any other political party? They are there for power and they will get it. But I am happy with the team of ministers now sworn in with Dr Manmohan Singh and I feel India could hope for a better, comparatively corruption-free government in the next five years. My only regret is that people Laloo are missing in this ministry, and the left has been reduced to a non-entity in these times when their voice should have been much more pronounced in our Parliament.

What the Ballots Hold: crystal gazing on electoral outcome in Kerala

THERE IS an eerie uncertainty after the polls. Now more than 48 hours since the voting in Kerala in the first phase of the general election to the 15th Lok Sabha, people are trying to second guess who might have gained and who lost in the polling. The speculations will continue till the day the votes are counted.

Let me add my own bit to the prevailing confusion:

There is every reason to feel that there has been a swift, subterranean move among voters that has caused very dearly to the left parties, mainly the CPM in this election. In the past few weeks I had talked to hundreds of people who used to vote for CPM for many years, but I see there is a mood swing. Most of them were bitter with their own party, for various reasons.

I am not talking about the rebels in the CPM or the dissidents who have surfaced in places like Vatakara, Palakkad and Kozhikode. I speak about the ordinary party workers mainly from the poorer sections who were once the backbone of the Communist party. Now there is a feeling that the party has abandoned them, and it has been converted into a middle class organization. The candidate selection this time has strengthened this perception of alienation.

Unlike the 2004 and 2006 elections when the minorities like Christians and Muslims were either divided or shifted towards the left, giving the LDF a thumping win, this time there is a swing to the other side. The CPM leadership, in its post-poll analysis, has accepted that the Christians have returned to the UDF fold this time, but feel the Muslims are still with the left. This is a wrong perception because what I have seen in the northern Muslim belt is a fast deterioration of relations between the Muslim masses and CPM for a variety of reasons.

Elections as Spectacles and Cover-Up of Past Deeds

Madani and Raman Pillai are hot subjects in Kerala elections this time: news.

WHAT MATTERS in elections today is success. Hence, there is no use expecting an informed public debate on issues, policies, governance and other matters which in a democracy should get some attention in times when the people are asked to elect their representatives.

But our electoral system has effectively nudged out all such informed public exchanges and instead what we have here is spectacles meant to entertain and get the electors forget to ask uncomfortable questions.

This time in Kerala, the leaders have successfully ensured that any public debate does not take place. We are now talking only about Abdunnasser Madani and his past antics and how a person like K Raman Pillai, once a firebrand Hindutva leader, has turned secular all of a sudden.

Both gentlemen are now in the company of Comrade Pinarayi Vijayan and his Communist Party of India (Marxist), once a party that I belonged to. I have no problem with Madani or Raman Pillai being part of the Left Front, but my problem is when instead of real and substantive issues like the looming economic crisis and the return of millions of people home after losing their jobs in the Gulf, we are not even spending a moment to think about such things.

I was reading all the newspapers and listening to most television debates, and I am convinced the media also has not much time or inclination to raise such issues. Yesterday, India Vision asked me whether this election time would be spent wholly on such non-issues and I expressed my hope that perhaps in the next few weeks things might change, people might force more serious issues into the public debate.

And one of the issues likely to come back to public attention, I am sure, would be that of corruption in public life. We need such a discussion because this is the first time even the topmost leader of our Communist Party is facing corruption charges and his name listed in the accused list in the SNC Lavalin case. Once this returns to our debates, no amount of flogging Madani or Raman Pillai brand of secularism would help them, because we need them to answer for their omissions and commissions in the past.

Lavalin Case: Politics of Evasion as Skeletons Tumble Out of the Cupboard

THE MUCH-AWAITED New Kerala March led by Pinarayi Vijayan will launch forth from Kasargode on February 2. The same day Kerala High Court will decide whether the State Government’s go-ahead is required to prosecute the accused in the SNC Lavalin case, in which Mr. Vijayan finds himself an accused along with ten others who were officials in the State Government's power department.

The CPM state secretary is the only politician accused in the case, and he happens to be the first senior leader of the CPM facing a corruption case in its entire history.

I have seen dozens of articles accusing Mr. Vijayan and also dozens defending him including the People’s Democracy article written by M A Baby in 2005 to the latest defense put up by Finance Minister Dr T M Thomas Isaac which appeared in Mathrubhumi today.

It has been one of the most-talked about cases in recent history and Mr. Vijayan happens to be the most controversial politician of our times. Most of these people named in the case are known to me personally for a long time and I have worked with some of them in my career as a journalist.

Hence I do not want to pass a comment on the merits of the case. Let the courts decide whether these people are really culpable or whether they are being wrongfully accused, as the CPM is trying to say.

Let us, however, remember one thing: The CBI is not the first to inquire into case. Much before it, the State Government’s Vigilance police had made a preliminary inquiry and had found corruption in the deal. In fact, the Vigilance took up the case following a report made by the Comptroller & Auditor General of the State Government who found massive loss to public exchequer.

But the CPM, both the state leadership as well as the politburo in Delhi, seem to think there was no reason to examine the case in a court of law. We can understand if the state party unit led by Vijayan says there was no reason for any inquiry, but when the PB, that too the available PB members who consisted of only Prakash Karat, Mrs Brinda Karat and two others, came to the same conclusion even before the official note filed by CBI in the High Court was made public, then it is a matter difficult to comprehend.

That is the problem with this case: People come to conclusions even before they see the evidence, even before they hear the arguments. But will the CPM be able to hold on to its no-inquiry position for long, especially when more and more skeletons are steadily tumbling out of the cupboard?

Kerala's Public Life: Doublespeak and Double Standards

'Yes Comrade Minister, We have taken control of the police station..!'


THE DOUBLESPEAK in Kerala’s public life is reaching insurmountable levels. Take the case of the attack on a police station at Kottakkal in Malappuram by the pro-CPM, Democratic Youth Federation activists two days ago and the alleged attack on the same station by the Muslim National Development Front activists a few months ago, on March 21,2007.

The attack on the station early morning of August 30 has become quite an embarrassment for the Home Minister Kodiyeri Balarkishnan as around 35 DYFI activists did storm the station and forcibly took away a worker who was kept in lock-up there. A few police personnel were injured in the attack too, as the newspaper reports say.

But the Home Minister failed to find anything untoward about the incident. He has, in fact, ordered suspension of some police personnel on duty in the station for dereliction of duty.

But in the case of the NDF activists collecting in front of the station as their senior leaders were arrested during the night, things were quite different. Though the NDF leaders have denied that there was any attack on the station, as no one was injured and no property was damaged, the Home Minister had said it was an incident as serious as the police station attacks organized by armed Naxalites in late sixties and early seventies.

The same double standards and doublespeak is evident in the way the minister defended the rising incidents of political crime in his home district, Kannur. Kannur today is in the list of districts with top crime levels even in the national crime records bureau. Still he said the other day that even family disputes were being dubbed political in his home district. Those who are familiar with what goes on in Kannur, especially in his own grounds like Kodiyeri, Pinarayi and Thalassery villages, would laugh at the ingenuity of the minister.