This is not the figment of the Opposition’s wild imagination. This is the assessment made by the two-day meeting of the CPI(M)’s State Secretariat!

And the Home and the Vigilance departments bore the brunt of the criticism levelled against the Vijayan Government. The growing perception, members participating in the debate on the performance of the government felt, was that there has been a breakdown in law and order.

An assessment made by the Home Department itself puts the blame squarely on the police. The last five years have seen a 50 per cent increase in the number of what the assessment called ‘criminals in khaki’. Recommendation for action against police officers with criminal antecedents have been ignored. Not only that. The recommendation that such elements be kept away from the service has not been complied with either. An astounding 936 policemen figure in criminal cases!

No wonder, the performance of the police department came in for stringent criticism. Since the Chief Minister himself heads the Home Department, bulk of the criticism was against him, although no one named him directly. But all were agreed on the paramount and urgent need for the department to pull up its socks.

The scale and intensity of criticism forced CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury himself to stress the need for improved show and implementing the promises made in the party manifesto.

Reports have it that Yechury went to the extent of seeking a change in the functioning of the government – an indirect criticism of the CM’s style of functioning.

An unmistakable sign of the review by the secretariat is that there will be greater involvement of the party in the functioning of the government, should the need arise.

“The party is doing a detailed review of the performance of the Government, which is required to identify lapses, a healthy practice which should be emulated by other political parties,” Yechury said, adding that “lapses on the part of the police are being rectified, but we have to consider many factors, including the Central Government’s hostility to the State while discussing its performance,” Yechury opined.

The debate on the law and order situation and police performance saw several members demanding a change in the leadership of both the state police and vigilance departments. The performance of the Vigilance department headed by Jacob Thomas has been marred by overzealousness.

So far, the Government has resisted the demand for removing him from the post. The Chief Minister himself has stoutly defended Thomas, an honest officer, saying that there are many who want him ousted because of the relentless battle he has waged against corruption and wrong-doing. But the CM has also made it clear that should the probe against Thomas reveal any wrongdoing on his part, the government won’t protect him.

Another front where the government’s performance has come in for criticism has been the failure to curb the phenomenal price rise. It may be mentioned that a major promise made by the LDF manifesto has been a commitment to ensure that there won’t be any price rise during the next five years.

Some members felt that public criticism of the government’s performance was giving the opposition a handle to put the government on the mat. This, they opined, should be avoided. The criticism was directed against the CPI and other allies although these parties were not named directly.

There is no escaping the reality that the Pinarayi Government’s performance has been anything but satisfactory. The Government should accord top priority to three issues: one, improving the performance of the police department. If the department is crawling with criminal elements, then they should be shown the door forthwith. Secondly, the Vigilance Department should be prevented from being overzealous and vindictive while tackling cases of corruption.

Last but not the least, the Government should pull out all the stops in curbing the shocking increase in prices of essential commodities, especially rice. This is a prestigious issue for the LDF Government as that was a top priority item in the LDF manifesto. Any further delay in failing to tackle the price rise would have a crippling effect on the credibility and capability of the Government. The Pinarayi Government has been forewarned. (IPA Service)