Pyrotechnics and Molotov Cocktails
In almost all the major temple and church festivals in the state, the fire works are reserved for the last leg. The year 2014 witnessed such pyrotechnics in the last quarter including the hurling of a ‘bribe bomb’ against Finance minister K M Mani, a crafty politician with career spanning over five decades. In the height of the controversy over the new liquor policy, Biju Ramesh, an office bearer of the Kerala Bar Hotels Association alleged that Mani was given `1 crore for re-opening the closed bars in the state.
Biju stated that Mani had asked for `5 crore. An amount of `1 crore was handed over to him at his house in Pala in two instalments of `15 lakh and `85 lakh respectfully, he alleged. He also went on to say that the liquor policy was a ploy to extract money money from the bar owners.
Under pressure from the Opposition, the government ordered a “quick verification” of the allegation by the Vigilance to ascertain whether there was sufficient ground for a full-fledged probe.
In a major embarrassment to the government Mani was booked by Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau in the scam on December 11. A Special Investigation Team was also constituted. The order was issued based on a letter given by the Leader of Opposition V S Achuthanandan, who demanded a probe into the matter. The VACB top brass had received legal advice that an FIR should be registered within 45 days of starting the preliminary probe in such cases.
It has to be noted that the allegation came as a bolt from the blue for the third largest constituent of UDF, at a time allegedly clandestine talks were on to make the road clear for Mani’s ascension as the chief Minister of the state, with the support of LDF.
A majority in his party believed the allegations which tainted the octogenarian were part of a “grave conspiracy”. Though some of them said it originated from a powerful source in the Congress party, they abstained from naming it.
On December 9, in a dramatic move, K B Ganesh Kumar, former minister raised serious allegation of corruption against three staff members of PWD Minister V K Ebrahim Kunju in the State Assembly.
A Tale of Two Stand-up Struggles
On December 19, the Adivasi Gothra Maha Sabha (AGMS) called off its 162-day-long ‘nilpu samaram’ in front of the Secretariat, after the state government acceded to their demands, including the implementation of PESA - Panchayat (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act. With the act in force, the state will have tribal panchayats. In the first phase, panchayats with 100 pc tribal population like Aralam and Edamalakkudy, will be declared tribal panchayats.
A week later the format of the strike was appropriated by the members of prohibition committee of the Kerala Catholics Bishops’ Conference (KCBC). On December 26 they performed ‘nilpu samaram’ in Kozhikode in protest against the decision of the government to water down the liquor policy. Around 30 persons, including nuns and housewives, covered their faces with black clothes in protest against the government’s decision. Though the number of protestors and the duration of the strike itself was not comparable to the one staged by the tribals, it had a quick impact. Ironically, those who did not pay a visit to the venue of the AGMS protest which was a walkable distance from the secretariat, travelled all the way to Kozhikode the very next day to iron out the differences.
The Pandemic Threat
The confirmation of avian influenza in central Kerala was another deadly blow to the state and tourism industry as the region is home to tourist spots like Kuttanad and Kumarakom. The Bhopal-based National Institute of High Security Animal Diseases (NIHSAD) confirmed the outbreak in the three districts: Alappuzha, Kottayam and Pathanamthitta. It was the H5N1 virus-triggered death of around 17,000 ducks en masse at two places in Alappuzha in two weeks that prompted the administration to seek help from NIHSAD. According to the Department of Animal Husbandry around 300,000 ducks were culled across 14 locations in Kuttanad. This was the first time bird flu has been detected in Kerala. The sale of eggs and duck meat from affected areas were banned temporarily. Surveillance was stepped up within a 10-km radius of affected areas.
Liplocks that Boomed Like a Cannon
The ‘Kiss of Love’ was a movement against moral policing which started in Kerala and later spread to other parts of India. The trigger was the broadcast of a report on alleged “immoral activities” at a cafe in Kozhikode, by a Congress-backed Malayalam television channel on October 23. Soon after the telecast, a mob of Yuvamorcha workers stormed the premises and smashed glass and furniture in front of the television cameras. A Facebook page called ‘Kiss of love’ asked the youth across Kerala to participate in a protest against moral policing on November 2, 2014, at Marine Drive, Cochin. Though the page received more than 1,43,000 ‘Likes’, only around 50 turned up for the event. But a crowd of more than 10,000 onlookers turned up at the venue. Some of them were supporters, but it was evident that a majority of them were there to derive voyeuristic pleasure. Even as the police cracked down on KOL activists, hooligans belonging to Hindu and Muslim fringe groups were found roaming free. A similar event ‘Kiss in the Street’ held in Kozhikode on December 7 also ended in chaos because of violence unleashed by Hindu rightwing groups.
After the initial protest in Kochi, similar protests were organised in other major cities of the country. It also invited a lot of debate amongst the Malayali community about the relevance and the manner of the protest.