By P. Sreekumaran

By P. Sreekumaran THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: As if the plethora of problems plaguing the Congress in Kerala is not enough, the party has been hit by ‘son stroke’! The man in focus is, Anil Antony, son of veteran Congress leader A K Antony. Anil had to quit as chairman of the digital communication cell of the State […]

The post ‘Son Stroke’ Singes Congress In Kerala Politics first appeared on IPA Newspack.

By P. Sreekumaran THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: There is no mistaking it. Kerala has erased its image of being an investment-hostile State despite the campaign of misinformation being peddled day in and day out by the Opposition parties. Two recent developments have knocked the stuffing out of the argument of the Cassandras and doubting Thomases.  Firstly, Kerala’s Startup […]

The post Kerala Is Now Attracting Large Number Of Investors first appeared on IPA Newspack.

By P. Sreekumaran THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: There is no mistaking it. The CPI(M)’s fulsome praise of the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), the second most powerful constituent of the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF), has scared the daylights out of the Congress. There is a delicious irony here. As the leader of the UDF, the Congress is […]

The post Kerala CPI-M Overtures To IUML Worries UDF first appeared on IPA Newspack.

By P. Sreekumaran THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: There is light, at long last, at the end of the Vizhinjam tunnel. The peace agreement between the Left Democratic Front (LDF) Government and the Latin Church which spearheads the anti-seaport agitation has come as a big relief for the Government. But the Government cannot rest on its laurels. True, an […]

The post Light At The End Of Kerala’s Vizhinjam Tunnel At Long Last first appeared on IPA Newspack.

By P. Sreekumaran India and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) are all set to deepen their already warm relationship. The development is bound to have a beneficial bearing on India’s relations with the other countries of West Asia. Topping the list is a food security cooperation under the I2U2, a new West Asian quadrilateral initiative, […]

The post India-UAE Economic Relations Set To Reach New High With Food Security Pact first appeared on IPA Newspack.

By P. Sreekumaran THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The World Cup football is in full cry. So is the political soccer game in Kerala.  The only difference is that, unlike in the Qatar extravaganza, political parties in the state, especially the Congress, are busy scoring self goals! The latest episode which betrays the Congress party’s proclivity to commit political […]

The post Congress Leadership In Kerala Is Mishandling Tharoor Issue first appeared on IPA Newspack.

By P. Sreekumaran THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan has escalated the standoff with the Left democratic Front (LDF) Government by raking up the  gold smuggling case to spite Chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan. In an interaction with presspersons in New Delhi, Khan said he had not interfered in governance.  “But now when I see all […]

The post Kerala Governor Escalates Faceoff With LDF Government first appeared on IPA Newspack.

By P. Sreekumaran THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: There are no signs of any let-up in the confrontation between the Left Democratic Front(LDF) Government and Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan. If anything, both sides have toughened their stance with the Governor reiterating that the appointment of 11 Vice-Chancellors was “irregular, illegal and void ab initio”. The Supreme Court order […]

The post No Let-Up In Government-Governor Faceoff In Kerala first appeared on IPA Newspack.

By P. Sreekumaran THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Supreme Court verdict quashing the appointment of the APJ Abdul Kalam Technological University VC over violation of UGC norms should be reviewed, opined former Lok Sabha Secretary-General and constitutional expert PDT Achary. Achary said the judgment should be subjected to a review as the appointment of the KTU VC was […]

The post Legal Experts Want Review Of Supreme Court Verdict On Kerala VC first appeared on IPA Newspack.

By P. Sreekumaran THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Will Congress presidential hopeful Shashi Tharoor spring a surprise by winning the election for the top party post?  That is the question uppermost in the minds of Congress leaders and activists in his home state Kerala. Political experts, however,  say the odds are against  Tharoor. Although the Congress High Command has […]

The post Congress Presidential Contest Evokes Big Response In Kerala first appeared on IPA Newspack.

By P. Sreekumaran THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A case of ‘human sacrifice’, in which two women were brutally killed, has shocked Kerala. It is difficult to believe that such an act of unspeakable barbarity should happen in a progressive state like Kerala. But that is the chilling reality to which traumatized Keralites must come to terms. The gruesome […]

The post Human Sacrifice Trauma Tarnishes Image Of ‘Progressive’ Kerala first appeared on IPA Newspack.

By P. Sreekumaran THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Cassandras have ended up with egg on their faces. The prophets of doom have been embarrassed beyond mention. Belying all dire predictions, Kanam Rajendran has been re-elected unanimously as the Communist Party of India (CPI)’s Kerala   state secretary for a third term. The most positive upshot of the State conference […]

The post Kanam Rajendran Gets Third Term As Kerala State Secretary Of CPI first appeared on IPA Newspack.

By P. Sreekumaran THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: It may sound clichéd. But it is true that the sad demise of Kodiyeri Balakrishnan marks the end of an era in CPI(M) politics in particular and Kerala politics in general. In other words, Kerala politics will never be the same with the exit of the gentle giant. It is an […]

The post Kodiyeri’s Death: An Irreparable Loss To Kerala CPI(M) first appeared on IPA Newspack.

By P. Sreekumaran Will Kanam Rajendran get a third term as the state secretary of the Communist Party of India (CPI)?  That is the question doing the rounds in political corridors of Kerala. The four-day CPI State conference is being held in Thiruvananthapuram from September 30. CPI general secretary D Raja will inaugurate the delegates’ […]

The post Kanam Rajendran Likely To Get A Third Term As CPI State Secretary first appeared on IPA Newspack.

By P. Sreekumaran THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Is Rahul Gandhi’s ‘Bharat Jodo’ yatra losing focus during its Kerala leg? The answer to that question, unfortunately, has to be in the affirmative. The Congress had started the yatra with the express objective of countering the BJP-led Union Government’s ‘divisive and anti-federal agenda. A laudable aim indeed. But, unfortunately, the […]

The post Rahul Gandhi’s ‘Bharat Jodo’ Yatra Losing Focus In Kerala first appeared on IPA Newspack.

By P. Sreekumaran THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Kerala Government has deftly tossed the ball back to Governor Arif Mohammed Khan’s court by getting the State Assembly to pass, in quick succession, two bills, which had kicked up a controversy. The first bill to be cleared by the Assembly was the Kerala Lok Ayukta (Amendment) Bill, 2022. The […]

The post New Turn In Governor-Government Standoff In Kerala first appeared on IPA Newspack.

By P. Sreekumaran THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: There is no doubt about it. Excise Minister and CPI(M) Central Committee member MV Govindan, who has been selected as the new secretary of the CPI(M) in Kerala , is the best man for the job. Govindan, whose credentials for the top party post are impeccable, will replace Kodiyeri Balakrishnan who […]

The post M V Govindan: CPI(M)’s Man Of The Moment In Kerala first appeared on IPA Newspack.

By P. Sreekumaran   THIRUVANTHAPURAM:  For once, the central investigating agency Enforcement Directorate(ED) finds itself at the receiving end. The ED suffered a legal setback when the Kerala High Court adjourned to August 17  the hearing on a writ petition filed by former Kerala finance minister Thomas Isaac challenging the summons asking him to appear […]

The post ED Suffers A Legal Setback In Kerala Against LDF Govt first appeared on IPA Newspack.

By P. Sreekumaran   THIRUVANTHAPURAM: The Seventh Governing Council meeting of Niti Ayog saw Kerala making a strong pitch for reviewing the decision to impose tax on essential items and co9ntinuing the GST compensation for the revenue loss to the States for five more years.   A clear-cut and forceful enunciation of Kerala’s stand was […]

The post Kerala Wants Tax On Essential Goods Withdrawn first appeared on IPA Newspack.

By P. Sreekumaran THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A political showdown is brewing between the Left Democratic Front (LDF) Government and the Union Government over the latter’s attempt to weaken the former through partisan use of the Enforcement Directorate(ED). CPI(M) state secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan fired the first salvo by declaring the CPI(M)’s intent to legally and politically counter the […]

The post Standoff Over Centre’s Attempt To Target KIIFB first appeared on IPA Newspack.

By P. Sreekumaran THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A flaming political row has erupted over the controversial comment made by former minister and CPI(M) MLA M M Mani against Revolutionary Marxist Party (RMP) MLA K K Rema in the Kerala  Assembly. The Opposition United democratic Front (UDF) has demanded an apology from Mani, who had remarked that the CPI(M) […]

The post Controversy In Kerala Over CPI(M) Leader’s ‘Anti-Women’ Remark first appeared on IPA Newspack.

By P. Sreekumaran THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: In a quick move which has blunted the edge of the Opposition’s criticism, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has secured the resignation of Culture and Fisheries Minister Saji Cherian from his Cabinet. Cherian has had to resign a day after he made the controversial remarks against the Constitution, which kicked up […]

The post Kerala Minister’s Resignation: Advantage LDF, CPI(M) first appeared on IPA Newspack.

By P. Sreekumaran There is no mistaking it. The drastic decline in migrant remittances over the last few years has affected Kerala’s fiscal health. While the world which came to a standstill due to Covid 19, Kerala was hit the hardest by the reverse migration which the pandemic triggered. An immediate corollary has been the […]

The post Steep Decline In Foreign Remittances Impacts Kerala Economy first appeared on IPA Newspack.

By P. Sreekumaran THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The recently-concluded Statewide ‘Friendship Yatra’, undertaken by President of the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) Syed Sadiq Ali Thangal was a laudable initiative to promote communal harmony. Not surprisingly, it has earned fulsome praise. The ‘Harmony meetings’, held as part of the Yatra, which witnessed the participation of various religious, spiritual, […]

The post Friendship Yatra Is A Big Boost To Communal Harmony In Kerala first appeared on IPA Newspack.

By P. Sreekumaran THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have decided to ramp up their agitation seeking the resignation of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. On its part, the CPI(M)-led Left Democratic Front(LDF) has  taken a decision to counter the motivated agitation politically. As part of the plan, the […]

The post Congress Ramps Up Anti-Government Agitation In Kerala first appeared on IPA Newspack.

By P. Sreekumaran Unfazed by fresh ‘revelations’ in the diplomatic channel gold smuggling case, the Pinarayi Vijayan-led Left Democratic Front (LDF) Government has demanded a probe into the conspiracy to discredit it. The Government’s demand has come following the ‘new’ allegations levelled by Swapna Suresh, an accused in the smuggling case. In her statement given […]

The post There Is A Calculated Conspiracy To Discredit Kerala Chief Minister first appeared on IPA Newspack.

By P. Sreekumaran THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: It is celebration time for the Congress and the party-led united Democratic front (UDF) after a long drought of election victories. The Congress has just scored a spectacular victory in the Thrikkakara assembly by-election with its candidate Uma Thomas defeating CPI(M)’s Dr Jo Joseph by a record margin of 25,016 votes. […]

The post Congress Win In Thrikkakara Bypoll Is A Big Boost To The Party And UDF first appeared on IPA Newspack.

By P. Sreekumaran THIRUVANTHAPURAM: Deft handling by the Left Democratic front (LDF) Government of Kerala has prevented a sensitive issue from snowballing into a major controversy. The Government did this by deferring a decision on whether the Government should leave appointments in State-funded educational institutions to the Kerala Public Service Commission (PSC). In the process, […]

The post Deft Kerala Government Move Averts A Major Controversy first appeared on IPA Newspack.

By P. Sreekumaran THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Campaign in the prestigious Thrikkakara Assembly by-election has entered the last lap with both the CPI(M)-led Left Democratic Front (LDF) and the Congress-headed United Democratic Front (UDF) pulling out all stops to ensure victory. The by-election has been necessitated by the death of Congress MLA PT Thomas.  The UDF has fielded […]

The post Battle Royale In Thrikkakara By-Election In Kerala first appeared on IPA Newspack.

By P. Sreekumaran THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Kerala will pull out all the stops to frustrate any attempt to rip the fabric of communal amity and effect religious polarization. That is the unmistakable message emanating from the arrest and subsequent release of Kerala Janapaksham leader P C George for making vicious comments against the Muslim community at the […]

The post L’affaire PC George: Many Points To Ponder first appeared on IPA Newspack.