Thursday, February 23, 2006
Mr. Karunakaran, Are You Listening
Old men become like children is the old adage, where the others will have to guide them. The case of octogenarian K. Karunakaran is similar and the present attempt is to tell him what to do. Not that the present post-colonial system of governance will help, it has to go in the long run, but in the meantime. Now that the Democratic Indira Congress, Kerala, is not admitted in the left coalition these are difficult days for K. Karunakaran. That he had revolted against the Italian daughter in law now running the Congress show, also talked out against the capture of the Congres party in Kerala by the Syrian Christian groups, are great things. No question on that, but at some point the old secularist in him resurfaced. He was on the verge of breaking the fake secularism in Kerala, what has been haunting him for some time now, but just short of the finale he compromised. That K. Karunakaran was hunted down by the Syrian Christian lobby in the Congress, that in full public glare, was forgotten by Karunakaran who tried to put up a secular mask. What makes him a comic character.
That both the fronts in Kerala are holding on to fake values, vulnerable to the money and vote bank politics of the so called minority communities is known to all. Thus we have in the ultra secular Left Democratic Front two church sponsored outfits, Kerala Congress Joseph and P C George. That when they talk about ‘communalism’ from roof tops, tell that the Hindu outfit Bharateeya Janata Party is an untouchable. True they have no money as the Christian secularists have, no watertight vote banks. Can be attacked with abandon. For the new age communists who love to be spending some quality time in air conditioned comforts, then coming out to talk about the poor, the trade off is visible. Power and money keeps them moving and to achieve that they will do any thing. The minorities have both, money and vote banks. And there is more deep down there are seething caste rivalries in the ‘secular’ left front, what actually saw Karunakaran out. Aging communists are viciously casteist is known to all insiders.
What can Karunakaran and his son K. Muraleedharan do now. Let us for now forgive Karunakaran for his concern for Muraleedharan, even a washer man tries to make his son a better washer man. But what exactly can they do to save themselves and also the ignominy that the followers are facing. Dump the leftists, dump the Congress and go for a third front. Talk about a Hindu consolidation, not necessarily what the existing Hindutwa groups are telling, a bit more vigorous one. The Hindu groups, there are many, will do what is to be done, only if he respects them. Barring exceptions they are men of substance, not swayed by power politics, with minor courtesies they can be accommodated. Obviously once there is a chance of winning elections the rolling stones who move to the ‘happening side’ every time will come over. If Karunakaran can have an understanding with the SNDP and the NSS, other Hindu organizations, many of the political parties now in confusion will rally with him. The ‘thalla’ Kerala Congress having left it, the ‘pilla’ Kerala Congress too may come forward, dumping their masks. Soon the reds may have to come behind thegroup. So will many others now in the middle path.
Yes, Karunakaran will have to do some internal changes for that, like introducing new talented faces in leadership. Add new concrete agendas, aimed at a Hindu resurgence to his party manifesto. An alternative developmental strategy can easily be formulated. Now, his ‘complan boy’ son may not be acceptable to many as the Chief, though he can be one of the bosses. Where the most sensitive part of the game is. Can Karunakaran dare to do that, yes, an old father often have weaknesses, but realistic fathers should weigh the sons abilities. And the other road is going back to the old days, a home coming. Greasing the same backside of those whose family used to ride elephants and had no riding marks. The old statement ‘as uncles ride elephants nephews don’t get the marks on their backs’ about the white lady now running Delhi is not forgotten. Certainly not by the sweet and shrewd lady. Only time will tell whether the old war horse will see his exit from Kerala politics in humiliation or stage a come back. Then leave with grace and dignity.
And further, even if Karunakaran and son decides to go after the minority front the cadres who went with him may not. In most places the old Congres men are now part and parcel of the Communist block. They have also become enemies of the Congress, what is far too visible in places like Thiruvananthapuram where there was a major election. Now it will be difficult for the local people to switch sides and they are more likely to remain with the Communist block. Even otherwise the UDF having been reduced to a Kottayam Makappuram outfit in the last elections and with the BJP not yet a concrete alternative the Hindu community in large numbers, including the Hindutwa cadres, have drifted to the lesser evil called Communism. What is to remain till there are viable alternatives, political processes. Thus Karunakaran’s home coming will see the end of his political career. The father son duo will soon drift to political wilderness. For which there are several examples in history. There are risks whatever the decision they take and a futuristic vision demands that they choose the broader Hindu plank. Though veiled now that is the driving force, for the people, which Karunakaran stands for.
And last, the DIC(K) name itself shows that the people behind are illiterate, as its short form means a slang in English, penis, but when allotted a name they did not even know that. Despite all such weaknesses lot of people, frustrated with the two minority driven fonts, had moved in to the party. They have also been successful in roping in the fossil National Democratic Party, of the Nair community, holding a merger Meet in Kottayam. That means, even if for name sake, they are also affected by the disgrace. The SNDP leaders have also come forward in support of Karunakaran more than once, they too shall be unhappy about what happens to Karunakaran. All that means that the road ahead is not of escape but fighting on. And there is a ground swell of Hindu consolidation happening in Kerala. Given a concrete alternative the new front will win is certain. Hope Karunakaran and his small band of followers will realize where the wind is blowing.
That both the fronts in Kerala are holding on to fake values, vulnerable to the money and vote bank politics of the so called minority communities is known to all. Thus we have in the ultra secular Left Democratic Front two church sponsored outfits, Kerala Congress Joseph and P C George. That when they talk about ‘communalism’ from roof tops, tell that the Hindu outfit Bharateeya Janata Party is an untouchable. True they have no money as the Christian secularists have, no watertight vote banks. Can be attacked with abandon. For the new age communists who love to be spending some quality time in air conditioned comforts, then coming out to talk about the poor, the trade off is visible. Power and money keeps them moving and to achieve that they will do any thing. The minorities have both, money and vote banks. And there is more deep down there are seething caste rivalries in the ‘secular’ left front, what actually saw Karunakaran out. Aging communists are viciously casteist is known to all insiders.
What can Karunakaran and his son K. Muraleedharan do now. Let us for now forgive Karunakaran for his concern for Muraleedharan, even a washer man tries to make his son a better washer man. But what exactly can they do to save themselves and also the ignominy that the followers are facing. Dump the leftists, dump the Congress and go for a third front. Talk about a Hindu consolidation, not necessarily what the existing Hindutwa groups are telling, a bit more vigorous one. The Hindu groups, there are many, will do what is to be done, only if he respects them. Barring exceptions they are men of substance, not swayed by power politics, with minor courtesies they can be accommodated. Obviously once there is a chance of winning elections the rolling stones who move to the ‘happening side’ every time will come over. If Karunakaran can have an understanding with the SNDP and the NSS, other Hindu organizations, many of the political parties now in confusion will rally with him. The ‘thalla’ Kerala Congress having left it, the ‘pilla’ Kerala Congress too may come forward, dumping their masks. Soon the reds may have to come behind thegroup. So will many others now in the middle path.
Yes, Karunakaran will have to do some internal changes for that, like introducing new talented faces in leadership. Add new concrete agendas, aimed at a Hindu resurgence to his party manifesto. An alternative developmental strategy can easily be formulated. Now, his ‘complan boy’ son may not be acceptable to many as the Chief, though he can be one of the bosses. Where the most sensitive part of the game is. Can Karunakaran dare to do that, yes, an old father often have weaknesses, but realistic fathers should weigh the sons abilities. And the other road is going back to the old days, a home coming. Greasing the same backside of those whose family used to ride elephants and had no riding marks. The old statement ‘as uncles ride elephants nephews don’t get the marks on their backs’ about the white lady now running Delhi is not forgotten. Certainly not by the sweet and shrewd lady. Only time will tell whether the old war horse will see his exit from Kerala politics in humiliation or stage a come back. Then leave with grace and dignity.
And further, even if Karunakaran and son decides to go after the minority front the cadres who went with him may not. In most places the old Congres men are now part and parcel of the Communist block. They have also become enemies of the Congress, what is far too visible in places like Thiruvananthapuram where there was a major election. Now it will be difficult for the local people to switch sides and they are more likely to remain with the Communist block. Even otherwise the UDF having been reduced to a Kottayam Makappuram outfit in the last elections and with the BJP not yet a concrete alternative the Hindu community in large numbers, including the Hindutwa cadres, have drifted to the lesser evil called Communism. What is to remain till there are viable alternatives, political processes. Thus Karunakaran’s home coming will see the end of his political career. The father son duo will soon drift to political wilderness. For which there are several examples in history. There are risks whatever the decision they take and a futuristic vision demands that they choose the broader Hindu plank. Though veiled now that is the driving force, for the people, which Karunakaran stands for.
And last, the DIC(K) name itself shows that the people behind are illiterate, as its short form means a slang in English, penis, but when allotted a name they did not even know that. Despite all such weaknesses lot of people, frustrated with the two minority driven fonts, had moved in to the party. They have also been successful in roping in the fossil National Democratic Party, of the Nair community, holding a merger Meet in Kottayam. That means, even if for name sake, they are also affected by the disgrace. The SNDP leaders have also come forward in support of Karunakaran more than once, they too shall be unhappy about what happens to Karunakaran. All that means that the road ahead is not of escape but fighting on. And there is a ground swell of Hindu consolidation happening in Kerala. Given a concrete alternative the new front will win is certain. Hope Karunakaran and his small band of followers will realize where the wind is blowing.
Thursday, February 16, 2006
Thiruvananthapuram, Politics, Crimes and Courts
Hindus fighting among themselves have always been a reason for others taking advantages. The recent judgment of the Fast Court Judge Y Thajudeen Koya in Thiruvananthapuram awarding imprisonment and fine on 23 activists of the RSS – BJP cadres has the same story behind it. The present case was about the violence unleashed in the student agitations in the city under the student wing ABVP, where several shops, transport buses and vehicles were damaged. One man was also killed. Initially the ABVP students had protested about the undue favours shown to minority institutions in the plus 2 school allotments. By the P J Joseph lead education department under Chief Minister E K Nayanar. Capture of the education sector by the minorities had crossed all limits. But the police unleashed ruthless violence on the ABVP students, including girl students. Gory details of Hindu girls being beaten up by police were flashed by the media, blood oozing from their faces. As a reaction the students became violent where mainly minority shops on the MG Road were targeted, also public transport, were targeted, at the end a murder. That the shops attacked belonged to the minority communities, now taking over the Hindu owned properties like wild fire, was censored by the media.
It is also alleged that there were anti-social elements who penetrated the student march and did most of the violence, for few Hindu owned shops and property including that of the BJP leaders got damaged. One man, a Hindu conductor with KSRTC, reportedly who was formerly a CPIM follower who had broken away from them, was unfortunately murdered. It is still unknown why, who plotted for it. Soon, as is the normal ritual in Thiruvananthapuram, a list of the persons to be booked was handed over to the police. It is a silent understanding between the police and the political leaders, their bosses, to serve mutual interests and many of the parties, including the RSS – BJP have a panel of people who get booked wherever some violence happens and is registered as a case. The police too know that these are often the dummies but they proceed and the accused parrot what they are told. With the under hand deals and political pressure some times these cases are dropped by the government or kept pending for ever. It is a political trump card in the elections and the ruling parties bargain with this weapon. The victims most of the time are the Hindutwa brigades who fail to come to power in Kerala.
This shadow war also sees unsuspecting people in the cadres themselves getting charge sheeted, when they fall out with the powerful, in the parties. Since it is a world of violence and under world linkages not many dare to talk about it, leave alone challenge it. The labyrinths of Hindutwa politics in Thiruvananthapuram have perfected this modus operanti for some time now. Where no one believes no one, cannibalistic rivalries trap people who retaliate in the same language. With poverty now rampant the Hindu youth are easily drawn it to the web. There is a network of police officers with links to the under world and politics and the leaders use their leverages to save and punish people. How this time the list included names of senior people like J Sisupalan, the ailing 70 year old Hindu Aikya Vedi leader. Whose only fault was speaking at the meeting in front of the secretariat. Also many others who got caught and are now destined to suffer. It is these people, stigmatized by society, who eventually drift to the under world, where there is a large number of ex-Hindutwa youth now in to criminal ways, for a living. It is now a big population and majority of them are from the old tharavadus of the warrior community, Nayars. Passion in youth drive them on issues, later with wrong leadership they become criminals.
This time it was a genuine political issue that was behind the problem, what was cleverly made a criminal case. Indeed the take over of the education sector in Kerala by the powerful and vocal minorities has become alarming. The allotment of plus 2 schools to majority minorities by the Christian community party Kerala Congress (Joseph), was wrong and it was a legitimate protest. But the Communist lead government of E K Nayanar, which allowed the game plan to go through, did not see the threat of this new reform. Hindus as communists and Hindus as Hindutwa parivar were on clash, where the minorities made the kill. What continues, now there is a war even within the RSS –BJP itself, how this turn around came about. And soon after the violence unleashed, by design or default, this issue was dead. Instead what was there was a criminal case, where a large number of people from ordinary families got caught. Now they are convicted. Interestingly this case was allegedly used by the ruling minority lead Oommen Chandy government and its leaders for electoral gains. When in the last Thiruvananthapuram Lok Sabha elections this was used by the Congress lead UDF to bargain with the RSS – BJP. The deal, as alleged, was this, if they voted the Congress candidate the case will be dropped. Running a court case is also a costly affair. The Hindutwa groups now have thousands of court cases booked all over Kerala which cost them millions. It is the soft under belly that only insiders come to know.
It is clearly political, where the government wants to win cases they win, where they want to lose they lose, British invented judiciary is quite flexible. The public prosecutors and judges are after all under the ruling party. Even laws can be changed as Kerala saw in the case of tribal lands. Where a central statute meant to restore alienated lands to the hapless tribals was cleverly altered and enforced. For, here the ruling Christian community was involved. In the battery of cases involving forests and encroachment the Kerala government routinely losses, the public prosecutor gets diarrhea on the day of hearing, or the judge gets a transfer. It is not by accident that K M Mani, of another Kerala Congress, again of the Christians, loves to have the Law Ministry under him. The naïve Hindus, Communist, Congress or even the Kerala Congress, do not know what is happening. Lilliputian Hindu leaders in these parties, with bloated egos and selfish motives, become tools in the operation. The smarter ones make them fools, trap them, bargain with them using law books. Immediate gains, some money, power and fame makes them bow down, do the bidding of the clever minority politicians. For the apathic and confused Hindus of Kerala here is another episode in the mega-serial called politics. When the life of these young ones stand ruined, families shattered, with incompetent people in Hindu leadership, what was a political issue has become another criminal case.
It is also alleged that there were anti-social elements who penetrated the student march and did most of the violence, for few Hindu owned shops and property including that of the BJP leaders got damaged. One man, a Hindu conductor with KSRTC, reportedly who was formerly a CPIM follower who had broken away from them, was unfortunately murdered. It is still unknown why, who plotted for it. Soon, as is the normal ritual in Thiruvananthapuram, a list of the persons to be booked was handed over to the police. It is a silent understanding between the police and the political leaders, their bosses, to serve mutual interests and many of the parties, including the RSS – BJP have a panel of people who get booked wherever some violence happens and is registered as a case. The police too know that these are often the dummies but they proceed and the accused parrot what they are told. With the under hand deals and political pressure some times these cases are dropped by the government or kept pending for ever. It is a political trump card in the elections and the ruling parties bargain with this weapon. The victims most of the time are the Hindutwa brigades who fail to come to power in Kerala.
This shadow war also sees unsuspecting people in the cadres themselves getting charge sheeted, when they fall out with the powerful, in the parties. Since it is a world of violence and under world linkages not many dare to talk about it, leave alone challenge it. The labyrinths of Hindutwa politics in Thiruvananthapuram have perfected this modus operanti for some time now. Where no one believes no one, cannibalistic rivalries trap people who retaliate in the same language. With poverty now rampant the Hindu youth are easily drawn it to the web. There is a network of police officers with links to the under world and politics and the leaders use their leverages to save and punish people. How this time the list included names of senior people like J Sisupalan, the ailing 70 year old Hindu Aikya Vedi leader. Whose only fault was speaking at the meeting in front of the secretariat. Also many others who got caught and are now destined to suffer. It is these people, stigmatized by society, who eventually drift to the under world, where there is a large number of ex-Hindutwa youth now in to criminal ways, for a living. It is now a big population and majority of them are from the old tharavadus of the warrior community, Nayars. Passion in youth drive them on issues, later with wrong leadership they become criminals.
This time it was a genuine political issue that was behind the problem, what was cleverly made a criminal case. Indeed the take over of the education sector in Kerala by the powerful and vocal minorities has become alarming. The allotment of plus 2 schools to majority minorities by the Christian community party Kerala Congress (Joseph), was wrong and it was a legitimate protest. But the Communist lead government of E K Nayanar, which allowed the game plan to go through, did not see the threat of this new reform. Hindus as communists and Hindus as Hindutwa parivar were on clash, where the minorities made the kill. What continues, now there is a war even within the RSS –BJP itself, how this turn around came about. And soon after the violence unleashed, by design or default, this issue was dead. Instead what was there was a criminal case, where a large number of people from ordinary families got caught. Now they are convicted. Interestingly this case was allegedly used by the ruling minority lead Oommen Chandy government and its leaders for electoral gains. When in the last Thiruvananthapuram Lok Sabha elections this was used by the Congress lead UDF to bargain with the RSS – BJP. The deal, as alleged, was this, if they voted the Congress candidate the case will be dropped. Running a court case is also a costly affair. The Hindutwa groups now have thousands of court cases booked all over Kerala which cost them millions. It is the soft under belly that only insiders come to know.
It is clearly political, where the government wants to win cases they win, where they want to lose they lose, British invented judiciary is quite flexible. The public prosecutors and judges are after all under the ruling party. Even laws can be changed as Kerala saw in the case of tribal lands. Where a central statute meant to restore alienated lands to the hapless tribals was cleverly altered and enforced. For, here the ruling Christian community was involved. In the battery of cases involving forests and encroachment the Kerala government routinely losses, the public prosecutor gets diarrhea on the day of hearing, or the judge gets a transfer. It is not by accident that K M Mani, of another Kerala Congress, again of the Christians, loves to have the Law Ministry under him. The naïve Hindus, Communist, Congress or even the Kerala Congress, do not know what is happening. Lilliputian Hindu leaders in these parties, with bloated egos and selfish motives, become tools in the operation. The smarter ones make them fools, trap them, bargain with them using law books. Immediate gains, some money, power and fame makes them bow down, do the bidding of the clever minority politicians. For the apathic and confused Hindus of Kerala here is another episode in the mega-serial called politics. When the life of these young ones stand ruined, families shattered, with incompetent people in Hindu leadership, what was a political issue has become another criminal case.
