*Political executive and the legal remedies*
Generally when the Left is in power it is characterized by political decision making guided a political and ideological programme, which has resonance beyond the State. It is an accepted principle while the undivided CPI was in power and also after the LDF was constituted and came to power. The political mandate of the party is transferred to governance and implemented there after. The political mandate is clearly founded on the party programme and the organizations larger objectives. This has clearly distinguished the Left from the Congress led UDF rule. Congress rule is not dependent on any particular policy framework. The rule much depends on the agenda set up by the regional bourgeois (in places like Kerala) and at the national level by business groups and conglomerates. For example, opening of educational sector, to avail ADB loan and to implement governance reforms by the UDF emerged not as part of well-thought out plan. As UDF leaders themselves have remarked, they were only measures to move with the time and align itself with the national Congress organization. The landmark "Land Reforms" enactment by the CPI government as every body knows was part of political mandate arrived by the Communist Party even before it came to power. In last decade, when LDF could rule with a majority confidence, the literacy programme to people's plan campaign was also part of political mandate arrived within the Left constituents. However, the key point is that the present LDF rule has grossly violated this original Left principle and each day of the LDF in governance demonstrates what can be termed as *"retreat of the political".* Put in strong terms, the present LDF government accentuates the *'defeat of the political".* *"Legal-judicial"* is succinctly occupying *this space long-left by the "political"*. *Diminutiveness of the political in front of the judicial is something to be worried. * * * When the Land reforms Bill was challenged in the court, the party and its constituents were equivocal in fighting for the implementation of the bill and went to the people to galvanize support. Generally speaking, the 'political", which is based on the ideological programme was more important and anything outside this realm was "extra-political". The terming of judiciary as 'bourgeois court", by EMS which led to the contempt of court may be recalled. This significantly points to the party's and its constituents particular grounding and belief in the "political-ideological and the popular". Now come to 2006 LDF government. Even not accepted by the Party, the LDF record victory owes much to VS campaigns. Apart from this, there was no clear political objective and programme at the time of electioneering and assumption of power. VS Achuthanadan was long-fighting the image of anti-developmentalist accorded to him by the UDF leadership and silently endorsed by the CPIM leadership as well. Since assuming power, Kerala has witnessed the worst of all political situations, which is the affirmation of 'legal discourse' over the political. The faction-ridden party and the dominant factions within the party and constituents within the LDF all put more faith in judiciary, which is unprecedented considering the genealogy of Left rule not only in Kerala but WB as well. Consider the ADB issue, the party could not find a resolution and the internal bickering reached a zenith and the government led by the CPI-M went for a legal resolution. A PIL was filed in the high court buy an organization whose members were expelled from party ranks. The petition filed was on terms and conditions of the ADB loan and whether the State government can go for it. The government waited for a result. We need not recall the drama of that period. When the case was pending in the court, the 'debate' within the party on availing of ADB loan continued. Also it should be seen that CPIM general secretary Prakash Karat briefed the media on ADB issue as only a governance issue highlighting the procedural lapses like whether it has to go through CM' office etc. The real political issue was relegated to the back ground. On SNC Lavalin issue, the CM openly said in a press briefing said he has a different view but the cabinet decision was to entrust the investigation with the State vigilance. Again the Court entered the scene. The final resolution, which did upset the then official leadership, was to handover the case to CBI. The sheer lack of political 'consensus' within the party again led the judiciary to overwhelm over the 'confusions' of the political executive. Come Munnar, an operation started as a spectacle (Pls do read CS Venkitsewaran's write-up "justice as spectacle") and which received massive support really startled the judiciary. The media mission that started slightly earlier than the Munnar mission described about a sea-change in political determination of the VS led government. In the first phase, the court refused to give stay orders on eviction and subsequent demolition of illegal constructions. After this phase the debates bended to the legal angle relating to property rights. A political discourse and an act, which also resonated the ecological concerns moved to the realm of judiciary. The rest has become a distant past. Now it is absolutely in the domain of juridicio-legal establishment. Same also happened in the case of Kochi Cyber City. The very recent issue unraveling before us of a predictable outcome is the "Golf Club". Ministers revel in legal wrangling. As I see TV news, CPI minister says, it's a dispute between two secretaries. After this there is breaking news showing CPI state secretary criticizing the office of AG. Yet again the judicial resolution becomes the way ahead instead of political solutions. Have the Left forgot about its own political mandate. I am not sure. But what I am sure about is the Left in governance during neo-liberal times is in a quandary. They have no clear guidelines. Different kinds of approaches loom large in the party. (Ranges of opinion and differences are actually good. But they are not small time political agendas. It has to be guided by a vision). Except one or two persons, the party leadership has miserably failed to intellectually understand and engage with the times. ( The trade union though outdated in many respects has still a leadership which tries to understand in Marxist terms what is happening in the country and also globally, but it has been sidelined for long by the two dominant factions) Though some ministers strongly attack the bureaucracy and civil service in general, unlike the past Left rule, the governmental executive has taken the Left ministers under its giant wings. They find their little shelter under it. When the political excutive fails to envision and implement, in the present consitutional structure, judiciary comes to the centre stage as the great 'arbitrator' and 'dispute settler'. The retreat of the political of the "actually existing left" is something we need not mourn. It is the price the mainstream Left is paying for hobnobbing with the capital interests in the name of development. Now come to defenders of the party who predominantly are literary critics and film reviewers. They presume by admonishing any criticism of the party and its governance measures, they are defending and saving the party. But failing to listen and engage with criticism, they have made it a torpid structure. They have created'paranoia' like situation and any criticism is dealt with 'heavy-handedness' particular as they the left is in power. This persecution mania created and transferred to the structure itself become an issue which in long-view is detrimental electorally and organizationally to the Left. In effect this set back of the political has lumpenized the mainstream Left completely. Thanks to the party appointed as well as self-styled defenders. damodar prasad --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Green Youth Movement" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/greenyouth?hl=en-GB -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
