The United Democratic Front government has overcome the initial days of constant threats to its existence to grow into a phase where the people say the government is going to make a comeback. The government has endeared itself to the people with its unparalleled development and welfare activities as well as the empowerment of the local self-government bodies in the state.
The government has walked a tight rope over four years and a half. No other government has undergone such a trial by fire or been subject to such wild allegations. The CPM had unleashed a demonic series of protests, which even resulted in pelting stones at the Chief Minister and wounding him.
In the meantime, Kerala has witnessed three byelections to the legislative assembly apart from the general elections. The opposition predicted the rout of the UDF every time but the alliance ultimately emerged victorious in all of them.
Competitive development
Development and care are not just campaign slogans for the UDF but a plan of action close to its heart. It has cleared the approval of new medical colleges after 35 years, launched massive infrastructure development in the state after the Idukki dam and the Kochi International Airport Limited and achieved enviable progress in the construction or roads and bridges. Execution of the large projects, called Navaratna projects, is under the personal monitoring of the Chief Minister. Ministers and bureaucrats are working in tandem.
The UDF always wanted welfare to be at least a notch ahead of development because welfare measures are meant for the common man. The government extended a helping hand to the people even while it suffered a financial crunch. The government reached out to the people with the Karunya Benevolent Fund that disbursed Rs 810 crore to 1,11,111 people, the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund that disbursed Rs 700 crore, the Chief Minister’s interaction programme that redressed grievances of 7.86 lakh people and various programmes under the Health and Social Welfare ministries.
The government protected all sections of society including the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, coir workers, fishermen and farmers. It brought peace and financial security to the homes in the state by closing down bar hotels.
Award for local governments
Another achievement was the empowerment of local self-government bodies. Kerala led other states in the decentralization of power and the empowerment through Panchayati Raj. Prime Minister Narendra Modi presented the award for the state with the best Panchayati Raj system to Kerala Panchayat Minister Dr M K Muneer last year. The state was picked for the award after an independent study by the Tata Institute of Social Sciences commissioned by the Union Panchayati Raj Ministry.
The Union Panchayati Raj Ministry has directed all states to implement the Kerala model of decentralization of power. The 1,199 local self-government bodies in Kerala are becoming a model to the 2.5 villages of the country. This was a moment of pride for us.
Once local self-government bodies were provided with more funds and the autonomy to utilise it, they began to implement imaginative projects. Some of the local self-government bodies have even built hydel power projects.
I am so happy that all local bodies have implemented the Ashraya scheme to benefit the helpless. These people who form about 2 percent of the state’s population do not even feature on the voters’ list. The government allotted funds for the local bodies to build public crematoriums to put an end to the sorry state in which families were forced to bury their dead under their kitchens for want of land. But we have to strive harder to extend these facilities to all panchayats in the state.
Roads in tribal colonies have been widened to three metres. The government has set up financial grants for members of the Scheduled Castes/Scheduled Tribes communities to go abroad for employment or higher studies. The government has also picked 365 villages to start Sevagram, the key to rural development.
Criminals in the fray
The UDF views the elections to the local self-government bodies with utmost seriousness. The people are about to elect 21,871 representatives. The state has to make strides through them in the next five yars. We need people’s representatives with honesty and a sense of justice. The CPM has fielded even candidates who have been accused of notorious murder cases. Bomb blasts and the procurement of arms continuing. The party is wearing a mask of unity after its rout in all recent elections. Party leaders insult Sree Narayana Guru and women in general. They refuse to correct their course even as cadres and sympathisers drift away from the party.
The strength and beauty of Indian democracy lie in its plurality. Alarm bells are ringing when attempts are made to finish it. The country becomes restless when people are murdered in the name of cow slaughter, dalits are burned alive, an MLA from Kashmir is smeared with black oil, Pakistani ghazal singer Ghulam Ali is prevented from singing, games of cricket are barred, progressive thinkers like M M Kalburgi are murdered, Mother Teresa’s charity work is denigrated and the day when Gandhi’s killer Nathuram Godse was hanged is observed as a “day of sacrifice”.
Unparalleled activities
I reaffirm my stance that all elections are as much an assessment of central and state governments and political parties as the local issues. No one can take the people into confidence by hacking rivals to death or by forming a motley alliance. There is no short cut to victory but to work for the country and the people.
The UDF government has immersed itself into unprecedented levels of development and welfare activity. I hope the government’s activities will be rewarded by the people. That will be a blessing for the continuation of the UDF rule.
(The author is the Chief Minister of Kerala)