5-17-06, 8:53 am
In Kerala, the Left democratic front has bounced back to power with two third majorities. There are several significant features of the Kerala result. This is the third consecutive victory of the LDF in the past two years. During the Lok Sabha elections, the LDF had captured all except one Lok Sabha seats despite Congress-led UDF being in power. A year later, the LDF continued its winning spree by routing the UDF in Panchayat and local bodies elections. Then came the bye-poll to the Thiruananthapuram Lok Sabha constituency. CPI nominee romped home with a bigger margin.
With 48.63 per cent of polled votes the LDF has won 98 seats in a house of 140. CPI that contested 24 seats has won 17 seats. The LDF had complete sway in North Kerala, particularly in the districts of Kannur and Kasargod and in the Travancore regions. Significantly, the LDF has breached the so far secluded Malabar regions. Indian Union Muslim League has been beaten in its own backyard. IUML is the second largest party in the Congress-led UDF.
Kerala had always witnessed close contest and normally a Front that wins scores one or two per cent more votes than the losing front. But this time, the LDF has beaten the UDF with a margin of about six per cent. While LDF was supported by 48.63 per cent of the voters who cast their vote, the UDF could muster only 42.98 per cent.
The electorates humiliated seven ministers of Oomen Chandi cabinet. One of the IUML ministers whose name figured in a sex scandal was badly routed. The LDF legislature party will have a new look, as many of the elected leaders are young and even first timers.
The voters in West Bengal have created a history. For the first time in the history of multi-party democracy, a front has been voted to power for the seventh consecutive terms. The LF has secured 236 seats in a house of 294. The LF continued to hold sway in both North and South Bengal. In South Bengal, out of 244 seats the LF has captured 195 and in North of Malda, of a total of 49 seats the LF won an impressive 37 (For details, please see the last page of this issue.)
The CPI contested 13 segments and has won 8 seats, one more than its existing strength. Half of the CPI victors are fresh faces.
Much is being made out of the LF finding new supporters in the urban areas. All sorts of ideological attributes are being coined. The fact of the matter is that while the LF has retained its bases in rural Bengal it had earned the respect and support of the new sections in urban areas due to its policy of development. The land reform initiated by the LF some three decades back has changed the agrarian relations in the rural areas and made it food surplus state. Rural Bengal is the fort of LF.
After becoming a surplus state in power generation, the LF has embarked on the path of industrialisation, a natural follow up. Without compromising on the basics, but keeping in view the constraints of functioning in a federal polity and economy, the LF is inviting investment in the areas chosen by it. Communists have never opposed FDI per se but have always insisted that it has to come without conditionality and as per the priorities decided by the state.
In Tamilnadu, the people have clearly rejected the autocratic style of functioning of J. Jayalalithaa. After the total defeat in the last Lok Sabha elections when the DPA has won all the 39 seats, the DMK-led alliance has won 162 seats in a house of 234. CPI that contested 10 seats as alliance partner has won six segments, up by one than its existing strength.
In first three years rule, Jayalalithaa had taken several anti-people measures. It dismissed 2 lakh government employees and teachers, introduced conversion bill, hiked tariff for water and power and went for several other rustic steps. After being routed in the Lok Sabha polls, she started corrective measures but could not recover grounds. People were waiting for their turn and booted out the AIADMK regime on the first opportunity.
Assam, as expected has produced a hung assembly. Congress with 52 seats has to go for a coalition, most probably with a faction of Bodo formation. The CPI and CPI (M) that contested the election with partial adjustment with AGP have found representation in the new house after a gap of five years.
The most worrisome aspect of the Assam result is the verdict in the Barak valley that has been divided by Congress and BJP. It is the only state where BJP has won a few seats. Non-Assamese population inhabits this valley.
Pondecherry has been retained by the Congress-led coalition but with a reduced margin. CPI has won the lone seat it contested. Pondecherry and Tamilnadu may have minority governments, as the alliance partners other than the dominant party are not in a mood to share power but support the government from out side.
The over all verdicts in the five states has sent loud and clear message. During the last 24 months the struggles waged by the Left parties against the deviation of the UPA government from NCMP and for the implementation of the pro-people provisions of the NCMP has been not only approved by the people in these states but the added strength in all the state assemblies is a mandate to intensify such struggle. With this added strength and prestige, the Left has to be more vigilant.
Next week the UPA government will complete its two years in office. It has a mixed bag of achievements and failures. Particularly in the economic field, the government has shown no regard to people's concern. Despite the stiff opposition by the Left parties, the economic ministries continued to follow in the footsteps of the previous regime in implementing the economic neo-liberalism. Privatisation through disinvestment of profit making PSUs, handing over the airports to foreign capital in the name of modernisation so on and so forth. The threat of introducing labour law reform and auctioning the pension funds and schemes looms large.
Much more serious is the situation on the agrarian front. Failure of government to ensure MSP to farmers, declining public investment in the agriculture, introduction of corporate farming in several states and growing debt burdens on farmers has made the life of our peasants miserable. Thousands have committed suicide and many more have been forced to leave their villages after losing landholdings.
In place of mitigating the miseries, the government is taking measures that will further aggravate the situation. The decision to export wheat and free trade accord with ASEAN can be listed among such anti-peasant measures.
The Left with its added prestige has to take up the agrarian issues on a priority basis while continuing struggle against the anti-people economic policies. Masses have to be moved and consistant struggles need to be waged. Simultaneously, we have also to propagate alternative policies and struggle for implementation of laws like National Rural Employment Guarantee Act. NREGA implementation will go a long way in strengthening the purchasing power of vast sections of our masses.
It is not only the message in regard to the economic policies. The pro-US shift in the foreign policy of the country too was a hot topic during the campaign. The agreements with USA and vote against Iran were roundly condemned and Left's position on all such issues earned it new supporters. The anti-imperialist consciousness of over masses has got stirred. The process needs to be carried forward.
Left definitely has grasped the message and do what it is required to do. Much more important is that the UPA government too heed to this verdict. It should start corrective measures and mend its ways. Immediate corrective measures must be taken to bring back the foreign policy on its track. Pro-people provisions of the NCMP must get due priority and government should move fast to mitigate the miseries of our peasantry. Agrarian crisis is deepening with every passing day.
Lastly, this election has exposed the hypocrisy and double talk of the Sangh Parivar. BJP failed to find even a single ally in the five states barring the maverick Mamta Banerjee in West Bengal. Except Assam where its tally has gone up by two seats, the BJP drew blank in all the other states. It lost the four sitting constituencies in Tamilnadu. Its lone representative in Pondecherry assembly has been badly defeated. It failed to open its account in Kerala and west Bengal.
In Rae Bareli where Sonia Gandhi has won the Lok Sabha seat with record margin, the BJP general secretary Vinay Katiyar could not muster even 20,000 votes out of over 5 lakhs polled. He forfeited his deposit and was placed third after SP candidate.
From New Age, a weekly publication of the Communist Party of India (CPI).
