The Hindu : Kerala / Thiruvananthapuram News : RSP rues loss of LDF popularity

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Aug 05, 2007
ePaper

Kerala

Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram

RSP rues loss of LDF popularity

Special Correspondent

Flays CPI(M) for factionalism

Calls for Central leadership’s intervention
Says LDF is becoming a
one-party rule

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP) State secretary T. J. Chandrachoodan has expressed serious concern about the loss of the ruling LDF’s popular image as a result of the recent controversies dogging the CPI(M) and the Government.

Participating in the Kerala Union of Working Journalists’ ‘meet-the-press’ series on ‘Kerala Politics Today,’ Prof. Chandrachoodan said the LDF Government had lost much of the popular appeal it had when it came to power with a massive mandate because of the faction struggle within the CPI(M) and the way major initiatives such as the Munnar demolition drive were rolled back. Unless the Central leadership of the CPI(M) intervened decisively, the LDF in Kerala would get badly hurt and that would cause irreparable damage to the Left movement in the entire country, he said.

The RSP leader also alleged that the LDF was increasingly becoming a one-party rule with no discussion taking place within the alliance on major questions of governance and policy. The decision to sign an MoU for a tie-up with a Russian company for establishing a titanium sponge factory attached to the public sector Kerala Minerals and Metals Limited (KMML) and the sanctioning of self-financing institutions even as a lot of debate on the subject was going on in the State were instances for this, he said.

He also revealed that the Government had come up with a Trade Union Recognition Bill without any discussion in the forum of the LDF State committee. The Bill was shelved for the time being only when the coalition partners raised their voice against it. If the Bill were allowed to be enacted in the form in which it was brought forward, it would have resulted in trade unions of most political parties in the State failing to get recognition, he pointed out.

Prof. Chandrachoodan said the manner in which the Munnar drive had been given up had proved to be a major disappointment for the people who had reposed much faith in the LDF Government to clean up not just Munnar but also encroachments all over the State. No single individual could claim credit for the drive, as it was the collective will of the LDF that had resulted in the action which was carried out with courage and conviction by the Chief Minister, he said and added that the drive will not have its original edge even if resumed as had been announced by the Government.

Replying to questions, he said the controversy over Farris Aboobaker should have been avoided.

He also felt that governance was still getting marred because of bureaucratic corruption and cited the news reports relating to the Kerala Transport Development Finance Corporation (KTDFC) as a case in point. He would certainly say the Transport Minister is not corrupt, he said.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Kerala