Skip to main content

Will popular, efficient Shailaja, who contrasts Harsh Vardhan, quit CPM, as Gauri Amma?

KK Shialaja, Harsh Vardhan
By Vidya Bhushan Rawat* 
India's political culture is deeply disappointing and depressing. Even those who wish to counter the BJP and Hindutva suffer from the same mindset and sometimes worse. After 'building' a brand, we sideline some to create our own monopolies. A few days back, one of its greatest Left leaders, KR Gouri Amma, who should have been the chief minister of the state at some point of time, passed away.
Gauri Amma was thoroughly isolated in the party she dedicated her life to, compelling her to leave the party. She hailed from the historically marginalised community of Ezhava which is categorised as OBC in the state, though many social historians suggest that it was actually an untouchable community.
Though current chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan too hails from the same community, Kerala has long been dominated by the Brahmanical caste elite. Right from EMS Namboodiripad, who was Kerala's first chief minister, till EK Nayanar, the longest serving chief minister of Kerala, their position as well as attitude towards Dalits and marginalised remained questionable.
EMS was a proud Brahmin who found a certain 'positive' aspect in the caste system. EK Nayanar would get away with calling a Congress MLA as 'that Harijan' who dances in the tone of AK Antony. Despite her huge mass base and political competence, Gauri Amma remained at the margins of her party. The party's top leadership did not have time to acknowledge her contribution and remained in persistent denial mode that it does not believe in 'identity' politics.
History is repeating in Kerala. The new Pinarayi Vijayan ministry has all the new faces, except for the chief minister. While the CM has a right to introduce the persons of his choice, it is shocking to see that an efficient minister like KK Shailaja, who won from the highest margin in Kerala, over 60,000 votes, did not find a place in the ministry.
If there was one minister whose work has been applauded and acknowledged internationally, it was Shailaja, who as health minister of Kerala, for her handling of the Coronavirus. It became a model state. Though it is also a fact that Kerala has a well-built health infrastructure and that is a historical legacy of the state, yet at this critical juncture Shailaja's handling of the situation got the Left-Democratic Front (LDF) political benefit.
The mandate that LDF got in Kerala is not merely to the leadership of Pinarayi Vijayan but to Shailaja, too. That seems to be the reason why she has been dropped. In these difficult moments, the leadership should have pursued Shailaja as it would have made things much better for the state, but then CPI-M always wanted to 'give' younger leadership a chance, except in its politbureau. In the name of new ministers, the Chief Minister's son-in-law has found a place in the ministry.
Gauri Amma
One may ask this question as to why Shailaja was not included in the ministry. She too hails from Ezhava community and is highly qualified. She proved her worth as health minister of the state. She won with the highest margin. Then why didn't the chief minister include her? Will Shailaja be the new Gauri Amma, who was compelled to leave the party? Was the chief minister feeling threatened with the success of Shailaja.
Look at the supreme irony of India and our political culture. A highly successful health minister does not find a place in the ministry in Kerala while one of the worst health ministers of independent India, whose only job is to retweet PM's statements, is enjoying complete patronage of the government at the Centre.
An absolutely incompetent health minister, Harsh Vardhan enjoys complete faith of his 'leader', while a highly successful health minister Shailaja is ousted for 'performing' so well.
Is there any difference in how the Left and the Right function? Or is it that you are acceptable as long as you don't pose a threat to the 'supreme leader'? Probably, supreme leaders everywhere want dumb ministers, who can be termed as glorified office assistants which reduces them to just defending the government and accusing the opponents.
Shailaja's example makes it abundantly clear that your success in a particular ministry may be the reason for your ouster from the same. It looks like every supreme leader needs a 'Harsh Vardhan' to keep their position unchallenged. In BJP, every achievement belongs to Narendra Modi while failures have to be dealt by the individual minister. That way, blaming Harsh Vardhan for the failure of our efficient handling of the Covid-19 is not correct, it is the PMO which is handling the situation under the Prime Minister.
Can any one then blame the Prime Minister and his babus for the failure in handling the current crisis? No, that is where Harsh Vardhan remains important, as he will face the blame for the failure of the things which he actually never did. Supremos want such netas who can easily give credit to their leaders when they succeed and accept the blame when they fail. Shailaja enjoyed the laurels and media glare making the chief minister a bit uncomfortable while Harsh Vardhan remained completely loyal to his leader.
Even when political manipulations will allow more and more leaders to follow the path of Harsh Vardhan and enjoy patronage, it will really be sad death of democracy if leaders like Shailaja do not speak up when needed. We know all of them follow party guidelines, but it is essential to speak where the party is wrong. To make democracy successful and respects merit and commitment, success of leaders like Shailaja remains extremely important. Will it happen?
---
*Human rights defender

Comments

Post a Comment

TRENDING

Whither space for the marginalised in Kerala's privately-driven townships after landslides?

By Ipshita Basu, Sudheesh R.C.  In the early hours of July 30 2024, a landslide in the Wayanad district of Kerala state, India, killed 400 people. The Punjirimattom, Mundakkai, Vellarimala and Chooralmala villages in the Western Ghats mountain range turned into a dystopian rubble of uprooted trees and debris.
Post a Comment
»

From algorithms to exploitation: New report exposes plight of India's gig workers

By Jag Jivan   The recent report, "State of Finance in India Report 2024-25," released by a coalition including the Centre for Financial Accountability, Focus on the Global South, and other organizations, paints a stark picture of India's burgeoning digital economy, particularly highlighting the exploitation faced by gig workers on platform-based services. 
Post a Comment
»

Gig workers hold online strike on republic day; nationwide protests planned on February 3

By A Representative   Gig and platform service workers across the country observed a nationwide online strike on Republic Day, responding to a call given by the Gig & Platform Service Workers Union (GIPSWU) to protest what it described as exploitation, insecurity and denial of basic worker rights in the platform economy. The union said women gig workers led the January 26 action by switching off their work apps as a mark of protest.
Post a Comment
»

'Condonation of war crimes against women and children’: IPSN on Trump’s Gaza Board

By A Representative   The India-Palestine Solidarity Network (IPSN) has strongly condemned the announcement of a proposed “Board of Peace” for Gaza and Palestine by former US President Donald J. Trump, calling it an initiative that “condones war crimes against children and women” and “rubs salt in Palestinian wounds.”
Post a Comment
»

India’s road to sustainability: Why alternative fuels matter beyond electric vehicles

By Suyash Gupta*  India’s worsening air quality makes the shift towards clean mobility urgent. However, while electric vehicles (EVs) are central to India’s strategy, they alone cannot address the country’s diverse pollution and energy challenges.
Post a Comment
»

With infant mortality rate of 5, better than US, guarantee to live is 'alive' in Kerala

By Nabil Abdul Majeed, Nitheesh Narayanan   In 1945, two years prior to India's independence, the current Chief Minister of Kerala, Pinarayi Vijayan, was born into a working-class family in northern Kerala. He was his mother’s fourteenth child; of the thirteen siblings born before him, only two survived. His mother was an agricultural labourer and his father a toddy tapper. They belonged to a downtrodden caste, deemed untouchable under the Indian caste system.
Post a Comment
»

Jayanthi Natarajan "never stood by tribals' rights" in MNC Vedanta's move to mine Niyamigiri Hills in Odisha

By A Representative The Odisha Chapter of the Campaign for Survival and Dignity (CSD), which played a vital role in the struggle for the enactment of historic Forest Rights Act, 2006 has blamed former Union environment minister Jaynaynthi Natarjan for failing to play any vital role to defend the tribals' rights in the forest areas during her tenure under the former UPA government. Countering her recent statement that she rejected environmental clearance to Vendanta, the top UK-based NMC, despite tremendous pressure from her colleagues in Cabinet and huge criticism from industry, and the claim that her decision was “upheld by the Supreme Court”, the CSD said this is simply not true, and actually she "disrespected" FRA.
Post a Comment
»

Stands 'exposed': Cavalier attitude towards rushed construction of Char Dham project

By Bharat Dogra*  The nation heaved a big sigh of relief when the 41 workers trapped in the under-construction Silkyara-Barkot tunnel (Uttarkashi district of Uttarakhand) were finally rescued on November 28 after a 17-day rescue effort. All those involved in the rescue effort deserve a big thanks of the entire country. The government deserves appreciation for providing all-round support.
Post a Comment
»

Over 40% of gig workers earn below ₹15,000 a month: Economic Survey

By A Representative   The Finance Minister, Nirmala Sitharaman, while reviewing the Economic Survey in Parliament on Tuesday, highlighted the rapid growth of gig and platform workers in India. According to the Survey, the number of gig workers has increased from 7.7 million to around 12 million, marking a growth of about 55 percent. Their share in the overall workforce is projected to rise from 2 percent to 6.7 percent, with gig workers expected to contribute approximately ₹2.35 lakh crore to the GDP by 2030. The Survey also noted that over 40 percent of gig workers earn less than ₹15,000 per month.
Post a Comment
»