Opinion Unpredictable front

However,the CPM hierarchy must have breathed a big sigh of relief when the news of defeat came in. It would have faced virtual extinction had the LDF won and Achuthanandan became the CM again. He is an unrelenting Stalinist and does not brook opposition. Nor does he forgive enemies,in the party or outside. The defeat is a narrow escape for the party from the fatal fallout of Achuthanandan’s returning to power.

The Congress,as it always happens,developed suicidal tendencies as soon as it thought power was sighted. Internal squabbles,absence of an election machinery at the grassroots level and the sheer self-centredness of its functionaries are some of the factors that drove it to near-defeat. It took a severe drubbing,winning only 38 of the 82 it contested. Thus what was supposed to be a walkover became a sour victory. It has to deal with a powerful Muslim League (20 seats),an eternally greedy Kerala Congress (9 seats) and,in the present situation of a paltry one-man majority,four loose cannons: SJD (2); Kerala Congress-J (1); Kerala Congress-B (1) and RSP-B (1).

It was just a few months ago that that SJD came out of the LDF. It knows its way back intimately. And K.M. Mani,supremo of the Kerala Congress (M),would not mind being the chief minister of Kerala even for a short while. The Congress has a tough time ahead indeed. Oommen Chandy’s gaadi is going to be filled with merciless backseat drivers. Even though one hates to be a Cassandra,chances are that it may not be long before things fall apart in the UDF.

Where do the people of Kerala get off,then? They have chosen between a rock and a hard place — and the rock can crumble any moment. In place of the bitter war between the CPM and Achuthanandan,a multifronted ding-dong battle between the UDF partners is going to be thrust on them. Governance will be the missing item in the UDF agenda,as the Congress and its allies essentially work for themselves,their friends,lobbies and other vested interests. The LDF’s corruption had a certain modesty,with a majority of ministers being personally uncorrupt. They managed by letting the System — babus,police,lower-rung party functionaries,etc —thrive on corruption. But the UDF is known for its gargantuan appetite,starting with the ministers.

Another problem with the UDF is that its intellectual and ideological talent is highly impoverished. Nor does it have a vision for the common man. Radical,innovative and progressive change,especially of a pro-poor nature,is not in its ambit. Ironically,it is not abreast of modern-day capitalism either. What it knows essentially is lobby-oriented economics. Hence racketeers and fortune-hunters will abound,not wealth-creators or employment providers.

Malayalis are going to pay a heavy price in any case. Because the LDF will soon set into motion its gigantic and fearsome machinery of anti-government offensives. Every other day,life will be paralysed with street-battles and hartals. There is a silver lining,however. Most of the CPM’s voluntary forces have taken up softer options like anybody else. The party has to hire street-fighters and demonstrators on steep daily wages. Maybe,who knows,the party doesn’t have that kind of money. Who knows?

Paul Zacharia is a Malayalam writer