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Journalism of Courage
Jostling along caste and community lines in Kerala ministry frames a govt losing political initiative
The wafer-thin majority of Keralas Oommen Chandy government 72 for the Congress-led United Democratic Front in a 140-member assembly has reduced it to pandering to the whims and wish-lists of not just allies but caste and community outfits. After the Congress relented to the demand of its heavyweight partner,the Indian Union Muslim League,for a fifth minister in the recent cabinet expansion,Kerala has been witness to the worst form of caste and community census of its council of ministers.
The vice-like grip of caste has been associated more with the politics of the countrys north than of the south. Over the last decade of so,however,development issues appear to have gained an edge over the identity politics that churned up north India in the turbulent 1990s. Larger social coalitions were formed in several states,with Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar becoming the mascot of that change. In Kerala,however,caste reform movements over a century ago and the educational and social uplift of its backward communities have led to a politics far less weighed down by caste and community considerations. Now,under a weak political leadership,the state is in danger of losing its way. While castes and communities should have due representation in government,the Congress leadership must show sagacity in negotiating the pulls and pressures. It cannot afford to cede the political initiative.
