It is clear Minister Kuruvilla from the Kerala Congress (Joseph) is going to lose his seat in the government. Many media guys see Achumama's victory in the LDF decision to keep Kuruvilla out, pointing to the Pinarayi faction's initial refusal to oppose the tainted minister.
However, to my mind, there is a broader issue at stake here - concerning the LDF. The Kerala Congresses, irrespective of which front they have aligned with, have always been headaches. Filled with leaders who are corrupt to the core, the only difference between the various Kerala Congress parties are that of the difference between tweedledom and tweedledee.
That is no surprise considering these parties have their own sectarian political agendas, trying to keep their Christian vote banks to cling on to power, and in turn, distribute the spoils of power among their vote banks.
The Congress, the main constituent of the UDF, has no no but to cling to such communalist outfits to try to gain power. But it is time for the LDF to think if it needs the support of such corrupt outfits.
Despite all the media efforts to whitewash Kerala Congress (Joseph), it is clear as hell that the party and its leaders are corruption incarnate. Plus, party leader Joseph's weakness for women is well known, leading to his humiliating exit from the LDF ministry.
Now Kuruvilla who replaced Joseph is on the way out. Question is, will the next entrant to the ministry from the party add to LDF's headaches? I have little doubt that will be the case.
I just cannot understand why LDF needs to carry around such dirty baggage. Why can't LDF just jettison Joseph and co and say enough is enough? That will definitely add to the CPM's and LDF's image.
Let me hope that better sense prevails in the LDF leadership!
Showing posts with label UDF. Show all posts
Showing posts with label UDF. Show all posts
Saturday, September 1, 2007
Thursday, August 2, 2007
Achtung! LDF Going The UDF Way In Kerala
The infighting in the Left Democratic Front is actually causing a lot of pain to people who voted them to power. Let us first face the fact that a lot of people who voted for the LDF aren't members of any of the parties. They voted for the LDF because they were tired by the corruption and lack of accountability and complete breakdown of the administrative machinery during the United Democratic Front't rule.
I remember the last days of the UDF government. I had just returned from Delhi, and what I saw was something unimaginable in a state like Kerala which prides itself on its awareness and liberal outlook. Just one example: the police were out in the streets flagging down and checking any vehicle and fining them, trying to extort money from motorists. And if you wanted to complain about it to someone higher up, the officer you approached would ask you to grease his palms! The general feeling was the ruling leaders had let the policemen out on the streets to make money even as they themselves were lining their pockets.
Okay, now the funny thing was while the police were so active on the roads the thieves were having a field day! There were gangs of robbers roaming the streets, even in Thiruvananthapuram, and going about their 'profession' with immunity!
Now, this was one instance of UDF misrule. And the people were tired of it. So the LDF came to power - not because of the charisma of VS Achutanandan or the cadre folloewing of the CPM!
Look at the state of affairs now! The faction war has hobbled the administration. Even as various kinds of fevers ravage the populace the state health minister is not to be seen. The treatment and cleaning drives are non-existent. All that the chief minister and his cronies are worried about is image building, while leaving the day-to-day functioning of the government in the hands of an inept bureaucracy! Even the party machinery which usually steps in to correct such mistakes is split along factional lines and engaged in a game of trying to run down each other.
Little wonder even die-hard Communists are now saying they made a mistake in voting this government to power.
They may be exaggerating: the LDF is still better than the corrupt and divisive UDF; but their feelings can only be ignored to the peril of the current government. That is the most insidious part of the current state of affairs. Public memory is short; the UDF can come back to power if the LDF continues on this track. Will we go back to those days of rampant corruption and extortion? I fear to think of it.
I remember the last days of the UDF government. I had just returned from Delhi, and what I saw was something unimaginable in a state like Kerala which prides itself on its awareness and liberal outlook. Just one example: the police were out in the streets flagging down and checking any vehicle and fining them, trying to extort money from motorists. And if you wanted to complain about it to someone higher up, the officer you approached would ask you to grease his palms! The general feeling was the ruling leaders had let the policemen out on the streets to make money even as they themselves were lining their pockets.
Okay, now the funny thing was while the police were so active on the roads the thieves were having a field day! There were gangs of robbers roaming the streets, even in Thiruvananthapuram, and going about their 'profession' with immunity!
Now, this was one instance of UDF misrule. And the people were tired of it. So the LDF came to power - not because of the charisma of VS Achutanandan or the cadre folloewing of the CPM!
Look at the state of affairs now! The faction war has hobbled the administration. Even as various kinds of fevers ravage the populace the state health minister is not to be seen. The treatment and cleaning drives are non-existent. All that the chief minister and his cronies are worried about is image building, while leaving the day-to-day functioning of the government in the hands of an inept bureaucracy! Even the party machinery which usually steps in to correct such mistakes is split along factional lines and engaged in a game of trying to run down each other.
Little wonder even die-hard Communists are now saying they made a mistake in voting this government to power.
They may be exaggerating: the LDF is still better than the corrupt and divisive UDF; but their feelings can only be ignored to the peril of the current government. That is the most insidious part of the current state of affairs. Public memory is short; the UDF can come back to power if the LDF continues on this track. Will we go back to those days of rampant corruption and extortion? I fear to think of it.
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