White hot rhetoric centred on tit-for-tat allegations of ethical breakdowns appears to render Kerala politics increasingly combative.
The high-decibel verbal dares appeared to escalate on Tuesday with Congress leader Mathew Kuzhalnadan, MLA, daring the Communist Party of India (Marxist) to publish Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s daughter, T. Veena’s, finances.
Mr. Kuzhalnadan alleged that the statutory income tax disputes forum’s finding that a mining company based in Kochi paid a considerable sum as retaining fee to Veena’s IT company, allegedly without any tangible reciprocal service, was merely the iceberg’s tip.
He claimed it was ironic that a mining firm had expensively hired an IT company that “specialised in educational software”.
Leader of the Opposition V.D. Satheesan said crony capitalism, money laundering using paper companies as a front, and institutionalised corruption characterised the government.
The CPI(M) has challenged the Congress to substantiate its accusations.
Meanwhile, the High Court’s order staying the construction of CPI(M) offices in Idukki and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) raid on CPI(M) legislator A.C. Moideen’s residence in Thrissur lend ammunition to the Congress.
The deployment of questionable and highly politicised public indictments by opposing camps to wring propaganda advantage spilt onto Thiruvananthapuram and Thrissur streets.
In Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala Students Union (KSU) activists marched to the Chief Minister’s official residence at Cliff House demanding an anti-corruption inquiry against Veena. In Thrissur, Congress workers scuffled with CPI(M) activists during a protest march to Mr. Moideen’s residence.
CPI(M) sympathisers pushed back against the Congress onslaught by using social media to spotlight Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee president K. Sudhakaran’s appearance before the ED in Kochi for questioning in a suspected money laundering case.
They also attempted to shame the Congress by pointing out that its office-bearer was the main accused in a murder-for-profit crime unearthed by the police in Malappuram.
The Congress has sought to frame the current stand-off with the government as a battle between common folk and an allegedly corrupt and self-serving administration to tide over the CPI(M) ‘s accusations of undermining development, kinship politics and sympathy mining.
The CPI(M) has struck back by broadcasting a welfare and development agenda to drown the Congress’s and the Bharatiya Janata Party’s recrimination-charged and “seemingly consonant vilification campaigns”.
