Author: Arun Lakshman
Publication: The Pioneer
Date: May 23, 2009
URL: http://www.dailypioneer.com/177903/The-rot-runs-deep-in-Kerala.html
More than the bloody nose received in Election
-09 what's worrying Kerala's Communist masters more is the fact that it no
longer has a deep reservoir of intellectual support at its disposal
In the 1950s, a play called Ningal enne Communist
aki ("You made me a Communist") captured the imagination of a generation
and planted the flag of the Communist intellectual establishment in Kerala.
The identity of the real author is not known, but it was part of the KPAC
movement led by G. Janardhana Kurup, N. Rajagopalan Nair and KS Rajamani.
Its theme was considered radical as it highlighted the myriad social evils
for whose redress Marxism-Leninism was advanced as the natural and best panacea.
The authorities banned the play, but it thrived in the underground and soon
became one of the jewels in Kerala's intellectual tradition.
Sixty years on, a lot of people wonder where
all that revolution fervour vanished. Today, the CPI(M), the chief custodian
of the Leftist movement, attracts more anti-socials than social workers. Scams
and much finger pointing later, a lot of people are wondering what the name
of the hypothetical sequel would be. Most agree on Nee Aare Communist Aki?
- what sort of person have you made a Communist?
The humiliating defeats suffered by Communist
candidates in all but four constituencies in the recent Lok Sabha election
did not surprise even the most diehard cadre. Much like the Bengal situation,
a greater sense of loss has engulfed the intellectual scene. For decades,
the Communist 'movement' commanded the biggest reservoir of creative artistes
and academicians. But that's a thing of the past now.
The arrogant ways of CPI(M) leaders has led
to the erection of a wall between the Kerala chatteratti and the rulers of
the state. The policies formulated by the Atchutanandan government failed
to meet the needs of the people. The much touted political alliance with the
People's Democratic Party (PDP) led by the Islamic fundamentalist leader of
dubgious credentials, Abdul Nasser Madani, did notg do any good to the party's
image. It caused the defeats of Marxist candidates in the traditional bastions
of Kannur and Vadakara.
The Madani affair has torn the party away
from a lot of prominent members of the state intelligentsia. A large number
of noted writers including Dr Azad, Narayanan KC Umesh Babu, Kunhappa Pattanur
and other avowed Leftists deserted the party.
As is their wont, the Communist camp responded
with a frontal attack on the media, which they were sure was in cahoots with
some 'right wing' elements and rebels. The late MN Vijayan, a writer whose
works almost read like the official mouthpiece of the CPI(M) fell foul of
the party leadership. He was even chased on the streets of Thrissur by party
goons. His last words, uttered at a press conference in Thrissur, was that
the CPI(M) had become a party with leaders and no supporters. He collapsed
in the middle of the press conference. His words proved prophetic. The election
results have vindicated him.
There was a time when some of the brightest
minds in Kerala were drawn to the CPI(M). The late G. Aravindan, the maker
of some memorable films, attracted a large number of peers to the fold. But
after his death, many of the loyal artistes have been driven out. A classic
example has been one of Kerala's bestfilm maker Kamal ,who was invited by
the CPI to contest as a Left independent candidate from Ponnani against the
Muslim League's candidate .The CPI(M) official leadership put a spoke into
Kamal's wheels with the theory that Kamal was associated with the late MN
Vjayan. Dr Azad and Umesh Babu came out in the Press with strong protests,
much to the embarrassment of the party leadership.
Another factor which worries the CPI(M) and
its arrogant official leadership is the drifting away of the basic and neutral
Left voters from the party .There is a feeling among the general public that
the CPI is a much better party when compared to the arrogance of the CPI(M)
and that it could be supported . It is a different story that the CPI lost
all the four seats it contested in the elections. However, senior CPI leaders
admit in private that the CPI(M) has played spoil sport in all these four
constituencies. Reason: they did not trust the CPI any more because of its
newfound conscience
Disapproval of the Marxists is also being
seen in the print and visual media. Two of Kerala's most popular newspapers.
Mathrubhumi and Malayala Manorama, have become strindent critics of the CPI(M)
and are quite antagonistic of the CPI(M) and its official leadership.
The Managing Director of Mathrubhumi, MP Veerendrakumar,
is the state president of the Janata Dal (Secular). The CPI(M) and its official
faction did a grave mistake by kicking him and his party out of the Left Front.
It may be recalled that the Janata Party was one of the founder constituents
of the Left Democratic Front in the state in the aftermath of the Emergency.
With the exit of Veerendrakumar , Mathrubhumi turned hostile to the CPI(M).Malayala
Manorama has always been antagonistic to he CPI(M). But when these two major
newpapers turned against the Communists, the situation became too hot for
the party.
- The writer is a columnist
