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Bread and Butter took Precedence
Trivandrum
By A Staff Writer
Kerala Assembly Poll
The Kerala verdict serves as an index of how mature voters are in the state.
Analysis of the 2006 Assembly elections results makes it evident that the Muslim votes in Kerala in general were cast in favour of Left Democratic Front (LDF). The previous United Democratic Front (UDF) Government’s refusal to fulfil its promise of implementing the recommendations of the Justice Narendra Commission polarized the Muslim and underprivileged Christians in favour of LDF this time. Though change in Kerala could be conveniently explained as cyclical shift of power between the two poles, the difference becomes plain with the significant defeat of Muslim League in its bastion of northern Malabar districts. The League was reduced to seven seats from its previous nine.
Former chief minister A. K. Antony has accused the LDF of ‘securing the support of communal parties such as Jamaat Islami, PDP of Nasser Mahadani and Saqafathus Sunniya’. It will be taken with a pinch of salt. His statement ignores the fact that Kerala is a tight federation of all kinds of communalisms and casteism. Kerala Congress is representative of Christians and several of its factions are divided between the two fronts. Ezhava support forms the main base of the Marxists. And above all Muslim League has been there with the Congress and the party has always been branded a communal party.
Justice Narendra Commiss-ion had recommended filling up 18,000 vacancies in the Government jobs on the basis of quota fixed decades ago for various communities. The Commission was set up by former LDF chief minister P. K. Nayanar and the UDF government which succeeded his tenure in 2001, had promised to implement this recommendation in its 2001 Assembly poll manifesto. But once into the saddle of power, Antony and Oommen Chandy governments went back on this promise. In fact, Muslim League often scoffed at the promise.
Muslims, clearly the underdogs in the State on the socio-economic scale, were guided by bread and butter question. With agriculture shrinking in Kerala, industrial growth next to nil, and growth in Gulf jobs uncertain, they look up to the state government to give them their due. Of all communities, Muslims are the most backward in the state in terms of empowerment. Such is the low attainment in education, that they are often unable to claim their 12 per cent quota in jobs.
The Kerala as also the West Bengal verdict also serves as an index of how mature are voters in these two states. They have learnt to differentiate between the US-leaned United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government at the Centre and the realities at their own base level. The UDF earned the displeasure of the people of Kerala also because of its unabashed pursuit of capitalist policies. The exploitation of river water in the Plachimada panchayat by the Coke factory (which is currently closed due to popular protest) drew fire of the people. US threat to Iran also played a part. The LDF used the UPA Government’s nuclear deal and the siding with the US on Iran’s nuclear ambitions to the hilt. Muslim opinion was clearly with the Left on the key issue. These issues got combined with the Ezhava community’s solidarity with the LDF. Ezhavas were looking for their own man, V. S. Achutanandan, occupying the throne of the chief ministership. Moreover, the voters saw former CM Karunakaran’s alliance with the UDF an opportunistic one. His son Muralidharan was handed a defeat in Koduvally, a Muslim dominated seat. Among the League’s stalwarts who were defeated are E. T. Mohammad Basheer and Kunjali Kutti who got stigmatized with the sex scandal.
Among the Muslim MLAs is a Muslim woman Ms. S. K. Sulaikha who has won on Srikrishnapuram seat on CPM ticket. An SC candidate U. C. Raman has won with Muslim League support in Kunjamangalam. The Indian National League’s general secretary P M A Salam has also entered the Assembly. The INL claims two more of its supported candidates winning from Kuttipuram and Koduvally.
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