THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Discontentment is brewing within the UDF with one of its allies, the Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP), upset with the Congress leadership over the lack of effective protests against the LDF government. The party has decided to hold a day-and-night protest in front of the Secretariat against what it terms as corruption in the week-long ‘Keraleeyam 2023’ programme -- planned to showcase the state’s strengths and potential.
Ever since state secretary Shibu Baby John took over the reins of the party in February this year, the RSP has appeared re-energised. After failing to open its account in the 2016 and 2021 assembly elections, it was only a matter of time before Shibu would replace A A Aziz. Frequent interventions followed, with the party holding a slew of protests against the ruling front. The party’s foothold may be limited to Thiruvananthapuram and Kollam districts, with a sliver of a presence in Alappuzha, Kottayam and Idukki. But that has not deterred the spirits of Shibu, who has put his weight behind reigniting the Revolutionary Youth Front, the party’s youth wing.
Speaking to TNIE, Shibu said the day-and-night protest would be inaugurated by senior Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala on October 31, on the eve of the inauguration of Keraleeyam 2023.
“The state is on the brink of breakdown. We need to hold protests against the LDF government’s Keraleeyam 2023 programme. Eight universities are headless, expired medicines are being distributed in the health sector, the KSRTC and the cooperative sector are in a mess, there is no civic sense and, above all, law and order is in a shambles,” said Shibu.
At the last UDF meeting, on October 6, Shibu had proposed a novel ‘Thakarunna Keralam’ (Floundering Kerala) protest. Although the UDF leadership sounded enthusiastic about the proposal, it never took off, says Shibu. The majority of UDF allies, including the RSP, are peeved with the state Youth Congress leadership for not holding any protests against the LDF government.
However, UDF convenor M M Hassan said it was based on Shibu’s proposal that the opposition front decided to hold public trials at all 140 assembly constituencies in the state. “It’s not easy to hold protest meetings across the 140 constituencies. We have decided to hold the next UDF meeting during the first or second week of November, after Congress state president K Sudhakaran and Leader of Opposition V D Satheesan conclude their district-level padayatras,” said Hassan told TNIE.