N S Sajith
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CONGRESS leader Rahul Gandhi's provocative and unsubstantiated comments about Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan have drawn widespread criticism from across the political spectrum in Kerala. During several public events, Rahul Gandhi, who has faced multiple interrogations by the Enforcement Directorate, expressed his surprise at the agency's inaction regarding Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.
Referring to the arrests of Hemant Soren and Arvind Kejriwal, the sitting MP of Wayanad said that two chief ministers had already been imprisoned for opposing the BJP-led central government. He expressed surprise that Chief Minister Pinarayi, who has taken a strong stance against the BJP, has not faced any legal consequences yet. The MP further complained about Chief Minister Pinarayi constantly attacking him. He said that it's interesting to note that the chief minister is seemingly untouched by any form of opposition from the BJP. His residence remains untouched, his membership to the Vidhan Sabha remains intact, and he hasn't been subjected to any interrogation by central agencies. This raises the question: if there's a confrontation between Pinarayi and the BJP, why does the BJP appear to harbor no hostility towards him?
In a scathing counterattack on Rahul Gandhi, Pinarayi said that the LDF does not require certification from them to combat the RSS and the anti-people policies of the Modi-led government. It is ironic that those who question why the chief minister does not speak out against Modi and the BJP are actually part of the same party that sponsored five candidates for the NDA. These candidates, namely C Raghunath (Kannur), Abdul Salam (Malappuram), Dr K S Radhakrishnan (Ernakulam), Baiju Kalasala (Mavelikkara), and Anil Antony (Pathanamthitta), recently left the UDF, which is led by the Congress. It is hypocritical for those who participated in an RSS-sponsored programme, where they lit lamps in front of Golwalkar's photograph, and begged for votes from the RSS, to now lecture others.
Amid the protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) in 2019, CPI's general secretary D Raja and CPI(M)'s general secretary Sitaram Yechury, along with Prakash Karat and Brinda Karat, were arrested. Pinarayi Vijayan questioned the absence of Congress leaders in this list. He posed the question: "Did anyone witness any Congress leaders participating in the CAA protests during that period? Why did Congress leaders refrain from joining the protests?"
Sitaram Yechury, the general secretary of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), has expressed shock at the comments made by Congress leaders regarding Pinarayi. It is crucial for the Congress party to comprehend the purpose of the INDIA alliance and the necessity of such a platform. The aim of INDIA is to oppose the undemocratic and unconstitutional policies of the BJP-led central government. The Left has been consistently clear in its opposition to the misuse of central agencies like the Enforcement Directorate (ED) for targeting opposition leaders on personal and political grounds. It is perplexing why the Congress party has not taken a similar stance. Will the Congress demand the arrest of the chief minister of Tamil Nadu simply because he opposes the BJP? According to Yechury, the people of Kerala will reject this unfortunate approach by the Congress party.
CPI(M) Polit Bureau member Prakash Karat criticised Rahul Gandhi's decision to invite the BJP government to arrest Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, calling it politically immature. Karat argued that Rahul Gandhi's questioning of why Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan hasn't been arrested and put in jail could weaken the fight against the BJP. He also expressed concern about Rahul Gandhi's claim that Pinarayi Vijayan is politically attacking him. While it is true that the Congress has faced criticism for not taking a strong stance on issues like the Citizenship Amendment Act, Rahul Gandhi's focus on why Pinarayi hasn't been arrested instead of addressing this criticism demonstrates a double standard within the Congress. Karat pointed out that Congress members in Delhi previously demanded the arrest of Arvind Kejriwal, and when deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia was arrested, they wondered why the chief minister wasn't also arrested. Karat emphasized the importance of a united stand against the BJP government's anti-democratic act of arresting two chief ministers. He also highlighted that Pinarayi had issued a strong statement when Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi were accused in the National Herald case and when Rahul was disqualified from being a member of the Lok Sabha.
ELECTION CAMAPIGN
As the state of Kerala prepares for the upcoming elections this month, the hopes of the United Democratic Front, which won 19 out of 20 seats in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, seem to be fading. The lack of action from the Congress-led front becomes more apparent, while the campaign of the LDF steadily gains momentum.
The centre's legislation on the Citizenship Amendment Bill, the NIA, and the BJP's attempt to impose a Uniform Civil Code, as well as communal polarisation attempts such as Ayodhya and Congress' soft Hindutva approach, are prominent subjects in the state's political arena during the campaign trail.
In the 2019 elections, the Left Democratic Front (LDF) secured victory in the Alappuzha seat independently. On the other hand, the United Democratic Front (UDF), with the backing of Rahul Gandhi as a candidate in Wayanad, emerged victorious in the remaining constituencies. Notably, Thomas Chazhikadan of the Kerala Congress (M) party who represents Kottayam constituency joined the LDF three years ago.
All 18 Lok Sabha members belonging to the UDF have demonstrated a poor track record in addressing concerns of the minority community through their parliamentary interventions. Specifically, they exhibited a pro-union government stance during the imposition of economic sanctions against Kerala by the Modi-led government. The leniency of Congress leaders towards the BJP has also become a subject of discussion. Recently, there has been a significant development with Anil Antony, son of former defence minister A K Antony, and K Padmaja, daughter of former chief minister and Congress stalwart K Karunakaran, shifting their allegiance to the BJP.
The leaders of the Left Democratic Front (LDF), which includes Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, CPI(M) state secretary M V Govindan, and CPI state secretary Binoy Viswom, emphasised the importance of increasing the representation of LDF in the Lok Sabha in light of the prevailing circumstances.
BJP is concentrating mainly in two constituencies, Thiruvananthapuram and Thrissur. In Thiruvananthapuram, central minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar is a candidate for the upcoming election, while in Thrissur, renowned film star Suresh Gopi, a nominated member of the Rajya Sabha, is running for office. Both Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah have made appearances at multiple events in these constituencies. Recently, the central government has deployed IT officials and a team from the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to conduct raids on cooperative banks governed by the CPI(M) in Thrissur. Additionally, the central agencies have frozen the CPI(M) district committee's account in a nationalised bank.
CPI(M) Polit Bureau member A Vijayaraghavan is contesting in Palakkad, a constituency he had previously represented. CPI(M) Central Committee member K K Shailaja is contesting in Vadakara, a constituency won by the Congress in the last three elections. Central Committee members Elamaram Kareem and Thomas Issac, as well as Devaswom minister K Radhakrishnan, are contesting in Kozhikode, Pathanamthitta, and Alathur respectively. NFIW leader Annie Raja is contesting against Rahul Gandhi in Wayanad, where Rahul Gandhi won in 2019 with a margin of over four lakh votes. Sitting MP A M Arif is contesting in Alappuzha, where he won previously. CPI(M) Kannur district secretary M V Jayarajan is contesting in Kannur, and Kasaragod district secretary M V Balakrishnan is contesting in Kasaragod. Thiruvananthapuram district secretary V Joy is contesting in Attingal. Former education minister C Raveendranath is contesting in Chalakkudi, film actor M Mukesh in Kollam, Joyce George in Idukki, KS Hamsa in Ponnani, V Waseef (DYFI state president) in Malappuram, and KJ Shine in Ernakulam. Apart from Annie Raja, the CPI has fielded VS Sunil Kumar in Thrissur, Pannyan Raveendran in Thiruvananthapuram, and CA Arun Kumar in Mavelikkara.
Election Roundup
AS Kerala voters gear up to cast their votes on April 26, hopes for the CPI(M)-led Left Democratic Front (LDF) are steadily and significantly increasing. The curtains have fallen on the 40-day-long, hectic campaign trail, during which a plethora of issues related to the anti-people policies of the Modi-led NDA government and communal polarisation were extensively discussed. People see their aspirations to protect the values of secularism and federalism being fulfilled only through the victory of LDF candidates.
The LDF has prominently campaigned for the importance of Left representation in Lok Sabha, highlighting the interventions of Left movements in issues ranging from price rise to the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), and from agricultural crises to the abrogation of Article 370. In addition to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and state secretary M V Govindan Master, CPI(M) leaders including general secretary Sitaram Yechury, Prakash Karat, Brinda Karat, Subhashini Ali, CPI general secretary D Raja, and state secretary Binoy Viswom were among the prominent figures who campaigned for the LDF. These leaders emphasized that only the Left can ensure the fight against communal and anti-people policies both within and outside the parliament. They stressed that only the Left is committed to amplifying the voices of ordinary citizens and exerting pressure to immediately intervene and control the rising prices of essential commodities, including food grains, LPG, fuels, etc.
The UDF secured a resounding victory in 2019, winning 19 out of 20 seats in the state. However, the poor performance of these members became a focal point of discussion during the campaign. Their inaction on issues such as the CAA, NIA bills, and the peasant agitation was debated at every meeting.
The Muslim League, a prominent constituent of the UDF, faced humiliation when the Congress ordered them not to carry or display their green flags in the Wayanad Constituency, where Congress leader Rahul Gandhi contests. Muslim League workers were even manhandled by Congress workers for carrying flags. In 2019, pictures of green flags at Rahul Gandhi's rallies were mistakenly interpreted as Pakistan's national flag.
A reprehensible cyber attack targeting CPI(M) Central Committee member K K Shailaja, the candidate for Vadakara, put the Congress on the defensive across the state. Such an attack against a woman leader by UDF workers in cyberspace was unprecedented.
Shailaja, who gained international acclaim for her adept handling of deadly diseases like Covid-19 and Nipah while serving as health minister, became emotional at a press conference held to condemn the cyber attack. She filed a case against her opponent, Shafi Parambil of the Congress.
CPI(M) Polit Bureau member A Vijayaraghavan is poised for a significant victory in the Palakkad constituency against the sitting MP V K Sreekandan. CPI(M) Central Committee member Thomas Isaac is engaged in a fierce battle against three-time MP Anto Antony in the Pathanamthitta constituency. The candidacy of Congress leader A K Antony's son, Anil Antony, as a BJP candidate, has put the Congress on the defensive. Besides Isaac's performance as the finance minister of Kerala, this factor is also expected to contribute to his victory.
Central Committee member and minister K Radhakrishnan received a strong support from voters in Alathur, a stronghold of the LDF. He is contesting against sitting MP Ramya Haridas, who is notorious for her poor performance in parliament. Party Central Committee member and CITU leader Elamaram Kareem is putting up a strong contest against three-time MP M K Raghavan in Kozhikode.
N S Sajith
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