THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Communal forces were trying to disturb the inherent ‘Leftist nature’ of the society and destroy coalition politics, said LDF convener Vaikom Viswan. He was speaking at a seminar on ‘Coalition Politics’ organised by the Information and Public Relations Department at Kanakakkunnu Palace here on Saturday.
Vaikom Visan said coalition fronts had gained the nature of an organisation over the course of time. “Initially the fronts were an association of like-minded parties. But the coalition partners work like a united organisation now,” he said. Cooperation and Tourism Minister Kadakampally Surendran, who inaugurated the seminar said Kerala’s experiment with coalition governments was a model emulated at the national level.
“After the third Assembly elections in 1965, no party was able to form a government due to the fractured mandate. This forced the political parties to look for tie-ups,” he said.
“Two years later the state saw a seven-party front assuming power and later coalition politics became a norm in the state,” the minister said. Museum and Zoo Minister Kadannappally Ramachandran presided over the function.
Former KTDC chairman Cherian Philip said coalition politics did no good for the state. “In a coalition government, the small parties often raise complaints of being overlooked by major parties. But history shows smaller parties create problems and weaken the front by quitting for no reason,” he said.
CPI state secretary Kanam Rajendran who was scheduled to speak did not attend the seminar. Denying allegations of abstaining from the seminar in the wake of the Munnar issue, CPI clarified the leader had to attend some important party meeting.