The Hindu : Opinion / Editorials : The real challenge for Mr. Karunakaran

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Thursday, Jul 07, 2005

Opinion

Opinion - Editorials

The real challenge for Mr. Karunakaran

While the resignation of nine Congress members from the Kerala Legislative Assembly might have no impact on the longevity of the Oommen Chandy Government, it will be of some satisfaction to the breakaway National Congress (Indira) of former Chief Minister K. Karunakaran, which is seeking to woo senior and middle-level leaders from the parent party. The Congress-led United Democratic Front Government still enjoys the support of 84 MLAs in the 140-member Assembly, but the desertions have served as a morale booster for the NC(I) which claims the allegiance of a substantial section of the Congress support-base. With Assembly elections due in less than a year, the NC(I) was under pressure to demonstrate that it had the ability to split the Congress vertically. Winning over at least some of the MLAs was crucial for Mr. Karunakaran to project the NC(I) as a serious player in Kerala's highly polarised politics. The UDF and the Left Democratic Front headed by the Communist Party of India (Marxist) have allowed no space for a third front in the State, as the BJP has realised in the course of several elections. Smaller parties have found representation in the Assembly only as a constituent of either of the fronts.

However, getting nine MLAs to its side is no big achievement for the NC(I). As a factional leader of the Congress, Mr. Karunakaran at one point of time was known to enjoy the support of about 30 MLAs. But his politics of brinkmanship in the last couple of years has seen many supporters switch sides. Actually, after every crisis that he triggered in the party, Mr. Karunakaran lost some of his loyalists to the "official" camp led by A.K. Antony. Many in the Karunakaran group were with him in his opposition to the Antony faction, but not when he ventured to take on the party high command. Some of the MLAs saw no point in resigning their membership of the Assembly until just before the general election. Indeed, the NC(I) president, K. Muraleedharan, had to issue a warning that MLAs who voted with the Chandy Government could not hope to join the NC(I) at a later stage. The real challenge for the NC(I) is now to prove its electoral strength in the local body polls later this year. There is no doubt that Mr. Karunakaran commanded the loyalty of a large section of the Congress rank and file in the State. But until the NC(I) is able to demonstrate its popular support, it would not be seen by other parties as a worthwhile ally. In the alliance-driven politics of Kerala, the success of a party depends on its relations with other parties. Thus, Mr. Karunakaran had alternated between the Muslim League, the second biggest party after the Congress in the UDF, and the CPI(M), the spearhead of the LDF, in looking for support. The crossing over of the nine MLAs, though unprecedented in Kerala's history, would not mean much if the NC(I) fails to make an impression at the grassroots level in the local body polls.

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