By Binoy Viswam
The Sarsanghchalak of the RSS, Mr. Mohan Bhagwat expressed in clear terms their ideological bitterness towards Marxism, the other day during his vijayadashmi address. There was nothing new in his statement because that hatred of the Hindutva forces towards the Marxists was clearly spelt by Golwalkar in his early writings itself. In every sphere of activity, the Parivar was adamant in being revengeful towards leftward thinking. The political forces committed to the Left ideology were regarded as the number one enemy by the right reactionary forces led by the RSS
Their ideology and politics are indebted to ideas of racial supremacy and greed of big capital. Whenever they got the opportunity to handle political power in India, the RSS tried to attack the Left and governments with Left participation. This tendency was visible since the 1970s, when the Janata government came into power with two leading RSS men — A B Vajpayee and L K Advani — as ministers. When the RSS became more powerful with dominant control over political power at Centre, they became more aggressive against the Left. The Left Front governments in Bengal, Tripura and Kerala were targeted because of political vengeance.
At present, there exists only one Left-led government in India — the LDF government in Kerala. That government of the LDF successfully completed its first tenure from 2016 to 2021. Because of its pro-people governance, the voters of Kerala elected the LDF government led by Pinarayi Vijayan back to power for a consecutive second term. After the C Achutha Menon government in the 1970s, this was the first time that people of Kerala voted to continue the government.
This repeated victory of the Left in the southern-most state of India surprised the Sangh Parivar and sharpened their anger to the Left. By defeating the lone BJP member in the previous assembly, the people of Kerala closed the BJP’s account in the State. The only Left government in the country naturally makes its impact on the national politics with its pro-poor, pro-peasant, pro-worker policies. Many of the projects undertaken by the LDF government in the fields of housing, health, education, agriculture, civil supplies and social welfare provide an impetus to the people all over the country.
The Kerala model of development is the people’s alternative to the Modi model of development, driven by Adani and others of the same lot. Handling political power in the state under a federal Constitution, Kerala attempts to realise the goals of a welfare state. The progressive democratic forces all over the country look up to Kerala with great expectations and regard this state as a land of hope. Sangh Parivar with its proclaimed anti-Marxist stance is hell-bent to hinder the onward march of Kerala to new frontiers of progress. The Union government led by Narendra Modi is acting as an instrument in the hands of the Parivar forces.
Kerala is grappling with an unprecedented fiscal crisis, aggravated by adverse policies from the Central government that threatens to withhold Rs 57,400 crore in transfers and loan approvals this fiscal year. The state faces reduced borrowing limits, a diminished revenue deficit grant, and the absence of GST compensation, placing a substantial financial burden on its ability to fund essential projects and meet growing expenditures. With the left-ruled state forced to rely on its own revenues for up to 80 per cent of expenses, financial strain is exacerbated by arrears exceeding Rs 50,000 crore, impacting critical areas such as welfare pensions, local self-government funds, government employee dues, construction work contracts, etc. As per the recommendations of the 15th Finance Commission Report, Kerala is entitled for unconditional loans of Rs 32,442 crores. But the Union finance ministry unilaterally reduced the borrowing limit of the state, suggesting flimsy reasons.
For paddy procurement, the Kerala government is yet to receive Rs 792 crores and Rs 61 crores share as part of the Food Security Act. Rs 137 crores are due in health sector grants and Rs 51.5 crores are due in municipalities grants. To financially choke the LDF government further, entitled revenue subsidy and GST compensations are stopped. Along with this, the anti-farmer stance of nationalised banks and agencies like CIBIL scores creates burdens for the agricultural sector. The Modi government’s promise of the MSP still remains on paper.
The nationalised banks, while writing off lakhs of crores for the big business, have no concerns for the peasants and their difficulties. Kerala’s demand for raising the loan limit fell on the deaf ears of the Union government. The Union government has adopted a financial policy aimed at strangling the state of Kerala. Their political strategy is to undermine all the achievements of the Left government and to minimise the importance of the Left alternative. The anti-Left ideology and politics of the BJP have to be fought with people’s support and political clarity.
The LDF in Kerala has planned a massive campaign in this direction. As part of it, the chief minister and the ministers will go to all the 140 assembly constituencies in Kerala together. They would tell the masses about the LDF concept of building a new Kerala, facing onslaughts from the BJP rulers at the Centre. As culmination of this mass-awareness programme, the LDF chief minister, his cabinet colleagues, the MLAs and MPs from Kerala would stage a massive dharna in the national capital in mid-January demanding the due financial share of Kerala from the Union government. The Left has trust in the people and the people believe the Left. With this confidence, LDF will march forward. (IPA Service)
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