Muslim League has got their fifth minister in the UDF government and as of now the most critical issue that threatened the existence of the ministry appears to have died down. However it must be noted that the shameful way in which the Congress party, the leader of the UDF coalition, gave in to the demands of their junior partner is a sign to the future and it will give other coalition partners more courage to flex their muscles and demand many more things from the Congress. In the name of ‘coalition dharma’ Congress has created a scenario in the state where the regional parties of the coalition have more power in the government than the national party, which is not a favourable situation.
Congress’ headache has only started now. With the Neyyattinkara election quite imminent, the way in which the fifth minister allowed to the Muslim League has angered the religious majority groups like the NSS and SNDP will have its effect. Though the NSS and SNDP don’t have the sort of influence on their respective communities as that of the Christian organisations, their influence can’t be completely ignored. The reshuffle in the cabinet done by Chief Minister Oommen Chandy to appease the NSS and SNDP doesn’t appear to have impressed them. By relinquishing the Home Ministry and giving it to Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan, a member of the majority community, the Chief Minister was trying to pacify the NSS and SNDP.
Though India is a secular country, caste and religious sentiments are still quite high among the people. Therefore political parties also do consider these factors in determining their candidates during election and in determining ministers during the creation of a cabinet. Even the left parties, who profess not only secularism, but even atheism, are known to give a lot of consideration to the caste and religious sentiments while selecting their candidates and ministers, because they know that only then they can have any realistic chance to gain power. However all responsible political parties should know the limit to which they can consider this caste factor, for once it goes over that limit it would be a threat to the secular fabric of our country.
The fifth minister row has made the UDF appear to be a pack of jokers who are ready to do whatever to hung on to power. If the Muslim League had threatened that they will pull out of the UDF, the Congress party should have told them that they are free to move out. Then the state would have got the chance to see how the LDF and Muslim League would have handle the situation. Would the LDF accept Muslim League in their front? Would League and LDF in that way create a new government? Would the CPI (M), who is quite averse of Manjalankuzhi Ali, make him a minister as League wished? These all would have been questions that we Keralites would have got an answer to. Though CPI (M) had once said that they will never create a front with Muslim League as it is a religious party, it is almost sure that they would have accepted league had they come out of UDF. For usurping power they would have no prick of conscience to team up with any religious party as was seen during last parliament election when they partnered with and shared dias with PDP.
As this writer had earlier observed, politicians epitomise all the vices that human ingenuity could invent. They can do anything to cling on to power, can partner with anyone, can embrace the ones they had showered expletives earlier, can disown anyone who have been with them for years, can change their promises anytime and can fool people with ridiculous audacity. And if about the present UDF government, it must be seen how long they can go on with such demanding coalition partners. If the Congress party continues to buckle down under the pressure of the coalition partners it would surely cut a sorry figure in front of the people and the nation.
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