Landed in Tvm in the midst of the Mahabharata War...or it seems like that atleast...heated discussions everywhere...in homes, streetsides and family functions!!! In the most literate, politically aware state of India after weeks of precarious religion, caste, sex and regional balancing amidst an already tenuous tightrope of coalition politics to walk on, the allknowing Keralite looks all set to throw the Congress out of power for the next 5 years. Though I licked my lips in anticipation of being present in kerala at this time of the year something happened that made me swore not to even bother with politics anymore. It takes years to mould a man into a leader but it just takes a few mins of irresponsible politics and a false case to finish off his career. I am not giving names but when the person in question even sold his flat to raise money to be a representative of the people and then to see the trauma he and his family went through, I am convinced Hell, though debunked by theologians, cant yet close shop...there are politicians waiting outside with deep pockets and darker sins! So where do I start...should it be from Pinarayi blundering by not contesting so that he could keep "THE PARTY" under his amrpits, or from Oommen Chandy's superb strategy to keep the DICK out of the udf only to see it torpedoed by Antony aka The Saint, Veerappa Moily, Chennithala and Kunhalikutty, or Achuthanandan's rantings and ravings from Parassala to Kasargod of saving Kerala from a "development coterie". We'll leave politics at that. Lets see the pressing needs of Kerala over the next 5 years and what I think will be the fate of kerala whoever the next chief minister of kerala is.
What V.S can do...
1. Agricultural Revolution...Despite hundreds of tons of excess rice already being purchased by the govt to save the rice farmers(yeah we still grow rice...our high wages have made farmers take to rubber and other cash crops in large numbers only for achu to arrive on the scene and vettinerathufy) he will force more land to be brought under rice cultivation, that is if any is available.
2. No Foreign Capital - Kerala will have at the most a hundred millionaries(in dollars) and I doubt if even 10 of them will have the acumen for investing in an IT business. With Infy, Wipro, Satyam and TCS heavily committed to other states so where do we look to for trigerring off an already belated IT revolution in our state...like godsend the Dubai Internet City lands here in our lap and almost 2 years of talks, moratoriums and agreements everythings still on paper!!!
3. Leader of the Masses - VS is undoubtedly the leader of Kerala's unskilled labor class. As was evident from a small chayakada owner and acquaintance from my college days praising VS on his statements of ending corruption, blocking Smart City and bringing the rich and powerful of Kerala to book...what the poor guy doesnt realize is that the VS brand of socialism will do more harm to him than good...ppl like me fleeing kerala after college eludes him of business for a lifetime!!!
4. Old Age City - I can safely assume my colony to be a microcosm for Trivandrum at large. Everyone is either abroad, or in bangalore and everyone cribs of being given a fair chance to come back home. Impossible...everyone better save up their money and invest in apts or houses in whatever city you are based... 5 years of VS rule will kill any chances of an IT boom.
What Chandy can do...(Or a Pinarayi Too)
1.The most dynamic chief minister the state has ever had will stop at nothing to etch his name firmly in golden letters as modern kerala's architect . I firmly believe his promise of the IT Corridor in Tvm and the Smart City in Cochin will take shape. Infact if he comes to power I will certainly stay back in kerala and take part in its development either as a capitalist or an employee.
2.I believe if given another term he will lean towards ending the udf coalition and re-establishing single party rule in kerala. With the CPM already moving towards ending the hegemony of the eerkili parties in its fold I doubt whether the Congress can keep bending over its back any longer for groups like Muslim League, Kerala Congress and Dick.
What Kerala Really Needs...
1. Jobs, Jobs and Jobs...Having the highest unemployment rate in India is one distinction kerala can certainly do without.
2. College Education - An entire generation of youngsters like me has been ruined by the mediocre education dished out in our colleges to go with the archaic syllabi and "brainy" question papers set by our universities. My advice to kerala youngsters is...dont wait for graduation to flee kerala...Go Fly at 17!!!
3. More focussed governance - Kerala is just perfect for becoming a developed state in India. If only the govt could focus less of its energies on politics and more on its health, education and public works sector we could redeem our state from the intense stagnation that's setting in here with the onset of competitive private schools and hospitals which though they charge astronomic rates offer better salaries and services.
4. Prices - Despite increased privatisation, Kerala has been saved from inflation in essential services because of a combination of socialist parties, an activist media and people's attitudes. Today the consultation of even the best doctor in tvm is available to people, rich or poor...Lets all fight to keep our innate consumerist tendency at bay and indulge less or else it will be the poor of Kerala who suffer.
5. The People - If only Malayalis lived better in their home state! This is the most cliched yet most truest grouse of every nrk.
I dont know what this post intended to do. The few readers here will not vote...the masses of kerala out there who will sweat in the may sun to have ink smudged on their fingers have a mind of their own...they consider themselves, as knowledgeable as the newspapers they read. For many it doesnt matter who gets elected as long as the candidate will have a religion, caste or some identity similar to his or else he is a party worker waiting to reap the benefits of his hard campaigning by milking his local MLA. Well, if 125 odd years back, if papers like The Hindu, Amrit Bazaar Patrika and Kesari could rise amidst humble beginnings to awaken the nationalist spirit in Indians to challenge the might of the British Empire we bloggers could very well be forerunners of some future technological change that allows us freebooters to reach as many people as our newspapers which have succumbed to compulsions of ideology, populism or compromises. And heck yeah, who wants to be a journalist, when you can write all you wanted, without an editor waiting to cut you out!!!! This article concludes a series of posts I have written over the last one and a half years on why the Congress needs to be given another last chance to rule us and this should probably be the last post I'll ever write on our electoral politics. I am not a Congressman nor a Commie-hater, but even if one leading CPM leader came out with a development agenda, I too would have gone with the incumbency wave and supported them wholeheartedly. Lets wait and watch whats in store for the State...miracles could happen...maybe VS will go the Buddhadeb way...after all, there's nothing impossible in politics!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
12 comments:
excellent insights brother! i am so happy to hear your views and understanding of the scene in kerala.
chandy definitely deserves a second chance, and i am sure if given he will do everything possible to transform the state. but as you can see, people who think like you and me are minority, despite the facts showing how amazing chandys 2 year reign has been.
as you said we can only hope OC wins, or else pray for some miracle.
LDF does have development agendas: rename expressway as byepass, oppose Smart City and Techno City and promote IT development, unionise IT industry so that women can work without fear..
there is more..if you still want to know..
>>An entire generation of youngsters like me has been ruined by the mediocre education dished out in our colleges
cant agree more with you on this…
>>In the most literate, politically aware state of India
do u really think so? All what we have been doing for the last couple of decades was switching DFs… left, right, left….
Very sensible analysis Jiby. I totally agree with what you wrote.
I am very optimistic that there will be a Buddhadeb in LDF soon. it will definitely not be V.S. More likely Pinaray or one of his close associate (not Baby or Kodiyeri) will take up that role.... fairly sure about it. This is one of those things that just has to happen naturally.
This was brilliant!!! As I do not know much about Kerala politics I cannot comment on the same. But the picture is disquieting. Best of luck for the coming exams.
p.s.Removed earlier comment because of the link.
I am really disheartened to hear that inspite of the great plans already in place and his future vision for Kerala, OC has very remote chance of winning this coming election. I wonder what will make Keralites realize what they are losing by electing someone whose main plan is to thwart any efforts (from what i have seen until now anyway) that bring in much needed investment for the state as well as scores of jobs and growth opps.
Great post! And good luck with your upcoming exams. We need people like you in the Civil Services to revive our sagging hopes of a developed and intelligent Kerala.
i appreciate the sincere effort ..lemme share my opinions
agricultural revolution in india is severely impared by HIGH WAGES !!! quite interesting..mayb the reason is trade union workers desire 2 keep kerala in eternal poverty i m right now in haryana where the richest farmers of our country live ..suicide rates here are quite comparable 2 that in our own county ..the major difference i hav noticed is sons of a kerala farmer cud still aspire 2 get a gud eduacation recently while a rural hariyanvi farmer is still far from being literate let alone think of sending his son 2 even a local university ..i m sorry i m pressed 4 time right now ..i cant explain my views ..i ll try 2 post a blog of my own ..jabbar ur still not on the right track .be really neutral if u want 2 present a balanced view and 2 reach original conclusions ..just keep in mind that everybody wants the world 2 b a better place .but few r really privilaged enough to hav the means even to b aware of their surroundings..take an academic interest 2 find out real truth rather than emotional appeasement ..my problem was i didnt know where 2 start and where 2 stop ..ur blog provides real substrate 2 act on ..lemme just find som time..
meanwhile chek this out
http://www.orkut.com/CommMsgs.aspx?cmm=147327&tid=2454690791699602275
mind curry, people like you and vinod chetan who blog so wonderfully on kerala's socio-economic and political issues deserve a wider audience... and that's why i feel demoralised about what can be achieved to get blogs a wider appeal. as u said lets all hope for kerala's best.
geo, i still think the malayalis awareness is far too high...and this is the first time kerala actually needs to break out of its left-right-left march to development and vote in a udf govt despite all its failings.
babin, true but if pinarayi continues to hold the party reins instead of the govt there's now way VS can be reined in.
silverine, you didnt have to take the link out...i felt what you wrote was relevant to the present condition of kerala.
quills, thanks a lot...i know i can make a difference here but preparing like a dog for the CS exams is sort of draining out a lot of that optimism.
sreehari, why dont u still look at the positives we have gotten out of development...in fifty years time we have managed to pull 250 million people out of poverty...our population is so huge its impossible to help everyone simultaneously... even i hold socialist ideals, maybe at a much lesser degree, the education we get today in our state was a long phase of social reform and socialist thought prevalent in kerala unlike haryana...unlike u i find it difficult to measure haryana and kerala by the same yardstick. plz do write aliya...as soon as u ascertain ur views clearly i will be in a position to comment better!
all of them shud be shot....Lallu Prasad is a better choice for sure...I think we have to blame ourself coz...we elect these idiots every time and give 5 year term for each of them to steal and loot....
The people of Kerala who will vote against the UDF do not vote against it because of the Smart City or the development initiatives, the vote in spite of it. These very same people voted 5 years back to get UDF into power.
The current administration is very corrupt, and by association gives all its initiatives a negative hue. [this is not a conjecture]. And they brought back DICK right in the nick of time to remind people of the bickerings of the first 4 years of UDF. All the hated leaders are back in the limelight:Kunjalikutti, Karu-Muru. If I were in TVM West for example, I would have to vote for Shobhana George to get UDF to power. Would I do that? NO.
Would VS be able to fill up a cabinet with people who think similarly? Will UDF work out a win? They could: In TVM district, their candidates seem to be well placed. But then who would have thought that M. Vijayakumar would loose from TVM North last time around.
Another month will tell.
Vinod, You said it. The current administration is very corrupt.
OC recently commented the worst thing he did in his life was accepting resignation from Viswanatahan, so he would not ask health minister to resign. Within an hour people/kairali TV broad casted his phone conversation.
Recently one innocent man was killed in the police station, what did OC do? He watching how the cops are trying to help the culprits.
They do not care. they care only about smart city which people (including me) thinks to make money, especially because whole process in not transparent. They (at least media) claim IBM, Oracle, COMPAQ (company does not exist) will start dev centers here. IT boom is gone. or atleast we cannot compete against others, so learn from the lesson and start building infrastructure of next big thing.
BTW, Kunjalikkutty was the person behind smart city. OC preaches, since he is not in ministry any more.
Hi Jiby,
The Kerala Congress (Joseph) has put up a blog at www.kcj.in
I think this is a first for any political party in the state, please have a look and let me know what you think.
Jacob
Post a Comment