It all began when the Chief Minister reached Kannur on Sunday to attend the valedictory function of the 43rd Kerala Police Annual Athletic Meet and another public meeting organized by the Congress. The CM was injured on the forehead when a stone, thrown allegedly by LDF protestors who were holding a black-flag demonstration, hit him. The police have arrested a number of CPI(M) leaders and activists in connection with the incident.

Congress leaders, including the CM, have promptly blamed it all on the CPI(M), which they alleged, had once again resorted to violence out of frustration at the failure of the party’s string of agitations aimed at securing the CM’s resignation.

On their part, LDF leaders, including State CPI(M) secretary Pinarayi Vijayan and State CPI secretary Pannyan Ravindran have denied the involvement of LDF in the incident. Accusing the Congress of stage-managing the incident to derive political mileage, Vijayan has demanded an impartial inquiry into the incident and bring the real culprits to book. The crux of Pinarayi’s argument was that the CPI(M) was not foolish to do something that would only benefit the Chief Minister. Vijayan also said that The Hindu had published an intelligence report to the effect Congress activists could infiltrate LDF protesters and create an incident to generate a sympathy wave for the CM, whose image was at its lowest, post the solar scam. Why have the police failed to act on the report?

Whatever the truth of these allegations and counter-allegations, one thing can be said with certainty. The incident has clearly put the CPI(M) on the defensive. After holding the political high ground following the eruption of the solar scam, the CPI(M) now finds itself in a situation, akin to that obtained in the wake of the brutal murder of Revolutionary Marxist Party (RMP) leader, T P Chandrashekharan.

Be that as it may, the fact remains that the incident puts the police and Home Minister Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan in extremely bad light. The HM cut a sorry figure trying to defend the indefensible. He would have the people believe that there was no lapse on the part of the police! The incident also exposed the fault lines in the Congress, and saw the flare-up, with renewed vigour, of ugly groupism. The I group led by KPCC chief Ramesh Chennithala used it to target the police and the Home Minister, who belongs to the rival group headed by the Chief Minister. Almost all I group leaders have savaged the HM and his police, ramming home the point that there indeed was a serious security lapse by the police. The upshot of it all is that the isolation of the Home Minister is now complete.

The incident must induce serious introspection in the CPI(M), too. It is clear that the returns from the slew of agitations launched by the party are diminishing. The time has come for the CPI(M) to think up alternative options to press its demand for Chandy’s resignation. That the CPI(M) is finding it hard to ensure violence-free agitations has become evident now. Wisdom lies in giving up such agitations, which result only in the party and the front led by it losing the goodwill of the people.

In the light of the latest incident, the party must consider whether its proposed ‘indefinite blockade’ of the Chief Minister’s official residence in the State capital from November 1 will serve any useful purpose. One more incident of the kind that occurred in Kannur would completely negate all the political advantage the LDF has enjoyed so far.

It is not as if there are no other effective ways in which the party and the LDF can make their political point. The LDF could, hereafter, concentrate on its own version of ‘mass contact’ programmes a la Oommen Chandy, by holding public meetings in all districts to expose the CM’s acts of omission and commission. Its political ‘jathas’ (processions), proposed to be held next month, is a welcome novelty, and can be more effective than the blockades of CM’s official residence and attempts to prevent him from being in touch with the people. The other constituents of the LDF, like the CPI and the RSP should also talk the CPI(M) out of its negative tactics. The sooner they do it, the better. Otherwise, the LDF is in real danger of losing the distinct political edge it has enjoyed so far. And that is a luxury the party and the LDF cannot afford, with the crucial Lok Sabha elections only a few months away. (IPA Service)