Kerala’s UDF government faces internal rifts less than five months after winning 102 seats. Many Congress leaders now openly criticize Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan over administrative lapses and a soft approach in the CMRL-Exalogic bribery case. K. Sudhakaran said, "If it's a strong government, then it should take action against Pinarayi."
The Satheesan government's image has taken a beating with internal disagreements and rifts coming out in the open too soon after taking power
Less than five months since the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) rode to power in Kerala with 102 seats in the 140-seat assembly, there is considerable buzz in the state's political circles over alleged rifts between Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan and some other leaders of the grand old party. Several Congress leaders have been expressing regret within the party over CM Satheesan's style of functioning, and even disowning his decisions. Meanwhile, the UDF government has been drawing flak for administrative lapses and lack of collective responsibility.
After the CM's helicopter journey sponsored by his friends made headlines, Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala and a few other ministers went on a foreign tour sponsored by their friends. Another controversy was triggered by the minister for local self-government bodies, K.M. Shaji of the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), which accounts for 22 of the UDF seats in the assembly. According to allegations circulating on social media, among the friends who accompanied Shaji on his unofficial tour of Austria, Bulgaria, Switzerland and the UAE from September 16 to 26 were a distillery owner and a builder.
The latest controversy involves the Cochin Minerals and Rutile Ltd (CMRL)-Exalogic bribery case, with the UDF government accused of taking a 'soft' approach against former chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan of the Left Democratic Front (LDF) and his family in the high court. Defending the director general of police's directive for a preliminary investigation before registering a First Information Report under the Prevention of Corruption Act, Advocate General K. Jaju Babu opposed advocate K.M. Shajahan's petition on the ground that he was "not a credible activist". Babu is alleged to have been appointed as a Satheesan nominee.
On October 16, Congress MLA Mathew Kuzhalnadan walked out from a key party meeting after a heated exchange with the CM. Former state Congress chief and Kannur MP K. Sudhakaran and UDF convener Adoor Prakash joined Kuzhalnadan in publicly criticising the government's stand in the CMRL-Exalogic case. They challenged CM Satheesan's decision to opt for a 'soft' approach against Pinarayi and his family.
"If it's a strong government, then it should take action against Pinarayi," Sudhakaran told the media on October 17. "I don't know whether we have such a government here or not We support Kuzhalnadan, who has political clarity. No one can threaten or intimidate him. We are here to stand by him and protect him."
Health Minister K. Muraleedharan, however, defended the chief minister stating the government acted legally in the case. "I suspect hidden agendas and somebody acting behind the curtain," Muraleedharan told the media, without revealing who was allegedly acting against CM Satheeshan behind the scenes. Political observers suspect he was hinting at AICC general secretary K.C. Venugopal acting through his loyalists.
In Puthupally, the hometown of late chief minister Oommen Chandy, and across Kottayam district, Congress cadres raised flex boards reminding CM Satheesan of how the erstwhile LDF government had treated Chandy in the solar scam case. Congress spokesperson Jinto John and legislators C.R. Mahesh and Chandy Oommen joined the chorus against the chief minister.
Meanwhile, the Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) scrapped its social media unit after it posted a controversial demand for the resignation of the Chief Justice of India on the party's social media handle. On October 19, PCC chief and power minister Sunny Joseph directed party leaders to refrain from making controversial statements in public. He also defended the CM and the government's decisions in the CMRL-Exalogic case.
"The leaders and their party should approve the decisions taken by the government," Joseph said. "Indiscipline will not be tolerated in future." According to veteran journalist Sanjeev Ramachandran, the halo and the hype around the Satheeshan government are fading fast. "It's not the Opposition exposing the government. The government's image has been damaged by internal conflicts within it and in the party," he says.