Kerala – playing with fire

The Mallu society has always been a very fascinating and unique collage of social trends and attitudes. The much acclaimed ‘Kerala model’ is well documented, though, I feel not enough follow up studies have been published or acknowledged concerning the same. The social scene has changed radically over the last two decades and I feel that the communist parties and especially the CPI(M) reflects the transition most obviously.

 From being the epitome of the dreams and aspirations of the poorest in this society, the party has come a long way to being a major stake holder in the commercial and business arena of the state. More alarming is the fast decline in the moral and ethical values of the party. The immediate provocation for voicing such a strong opinion is the stand taken by the party regarding the CBI probe of Lavlin case. The state supremo of CPI(M) being accused of corruption is a shock in itself. Even more disappointing is the ambiguity in the party’s official position regarding the issue. The onus is on the CBI to prove the charges, and Pinarayi Vijayan is to be perceived as innocent until unless pronounced guilty by a court. Still, the party has to show the courage and vision to at least keep the accused away from party responsibilities until the case comes to its logical conclusion. The least one can expect is for the party and its leaders to desist from confronting the CBI and pronouncing the verdict by themselves.  

Sadly, the party, until this moment, has chosen to toe a political and public posture which is pretty much identical to the infamous one adopted by the Church in Abhaya case. As an ordinary citizen, I am bewildered at the attempts of the all powerful establishments to discredit the law enforcement agencies of this land. There have been numerous incidents of people arrested by the police being rescued by their political masters using brute force from the lockups and police stations in Kerala.

 In the quest to conquer and possess, these organizations are setting a very bad example. Kerala has to get its act together before the social and moral degradation eats away the legacy of the Kerala Model.