And there are clear indications that the VD Satheesan-led United Democratic Front (UDF) Government’s words and deeds are anything but positive.

The Chief Minister himself is in the dock for his shifting stands and astonishing somersaults on a variety of issues. These U-turns are at sharp variance with the stand he took as the Leader of the Opposition.

To cite just one instance, the Chief Minister said immediately after assuming power that the treasury is empty and has become a cat’s lair! This was not true. The outgoing Left Democratic Front (LDF) had left a decent sum - close to Rs 6,000 crore - in the treasury. And it was this amount which enabled the Chief Minister to announce the hike for ASHA workers, Anganwadi helpers and a category of teachers. And this was in glaring contrast to the empty treasury that the Oommen Chandy Government had left in the wake of its electoral defeat in 2016. The LDF Government headed by Pinarayi Vijayan had to clear arrears amounting to Rs 10,000 crore, including 18 months of welfare pension.

Another lie of the new CM relates to the recital of the full version of Vande Mataram at the swearing-in ceremony of the UDF Government. The CPI(M) took strong exception to this calling it a move that undermines secularism and pluralism. The Congress Working Committee (CWC) itself, the CPI(M) State Secretariat statement said, had taken the stand that reciting the Vande Mataram in its entirety of six stanzas was unsuitable for a pluralistic society. Therefore, parts of the song were trimmed as part of a resolution passed by the CWC on October 30, 1937. On January 24, 1950, the Constituent Assembly had clarified that only the first eight lines should be performed as the national song.

Some parts of the Vande Mataram represent the beliefs of a particular religion. The change was made on the basis of the view that it was inappropriate for a pluralistic society to adopt it as the national song. Despite this, the excluded parts of the song were sung at the swearing-in .of the Satheesan Government. Interestingly, the entire song was not sung at the swearing-in of the BJP Government in West Bengal! At a time when efforts are on to divide the people on communal lines, no action that undermines secularism should be taken by anyone, the CPI(M) State Secretariat statement added.

VD Satheesan was clearly wrong to say that he had not been informed that the full version of Vande Mataram would be sung at the swearing in, and that it was the decision of the Lok Bhavan. In the normal course, the full details of the swearing-in ceremony are conveyed to the CMO’s office. This being the protocol, it is difficult to believe Satheesan’s claim on the issue.

Likewise, the appointment of Ratan U. Kelkar, who was till recently the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of Kerala, as secretary to the Chief Minister of Kerala has kicked up a controversy. Both the CPI(M) and the BJP have strongly criticised the decision. Their contention is that Rahul Gandhi had called the appointment of Chief Electoral Officer of West Bengal Manoj Agarwal as the Chief secretary as a reward for the BJP’s victory in that State.

Going by the same logic, can it be said that Kelkar got the reward for helping Congress’s victory in the Kerala election? Satheesan, it may be mentioned, had predicted that the UDF would win over 100 seats. Were these accurate predictions based on the inputs and help from those who were conducting the elections? Rahul has maintained a deafening silence on Satheesan’s patently wrong decision to appoint Kelkar as his secretary.

Communist Party of India (CPI) state secretary Binoy Viswam accused the UDF of following the path of BJP-led state governments which appoint as advisers officers who have implemented central policies that deny voting rights based on caste and religion. Kelkar as the CEO, Viswam added, had implemented the controversial decisions of the Election Commission of India (ECI) in Kerala. He had steadfastly refused to look into the complaints of irregularities in the Kerala electoral rolls. As a result nearly 20,000 State Government officials were not able to vote.

This being the reality, both Satheesan and Chennithala are on a weak wicket to say that that Kelkar, a 2003 batch IAS officer, was an upright and efficient officer.

Last but not the least is the utterly shocking decision of a woman minister in Satheesan Cabinet to seek the blessings of the controversial Sree Narayana Dharma Paripalana Yogam (SNDP) chief Vellappally Natesan in person. As if that was not enough, Vellappally’s son Tushar Vellappally, who is president of the Bharat Dharma Jana Sena (BDJS), an ally of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA), met Chief Minister Satheesan! Satheesan and Muslim League leaders were strongly critical of Natesan’s angry outbursts against the Muslim community.

Now, one of the main reasons why the LDF lost the election was its failure to rebuke Natesan for his demonisation of the Muslim community in the run-up to the assembly election. Natesan’s diatribe had alienated an enraged Muslim community from the LDF, contributing to its defeat. The results clearly showed a consolidation of the Muslim vote in favour of the UDF which led to its spectacular win.

In a shocking somersault, the Congress leaders are now making a beeline to Natesan, signalling a truce with the same leader whom they had roundly condemned for his anti-Muslim remarks! While Labour Minister Bindu Krishna called on the SNDP boss at his residence, Vellappally’s son met the CM at the latter’s residence, accompanied by many SNDP leaders. If this is not political opportunism of the first order, what is? Even a section of Congress leaders are angry over this U-turn. This does not augur well for the future of Kerala politics as such abject surrender to communal forces would weaken the secular fabric of Kerala, paving the way for ascendancy of communal force. (IPA Service)