THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: S Mini, the candidate fielded by the Socialist Unity Centre of India (Communist) in the Thiruvananthapuram Lok Sabha constituency, is a politician from top to toe. In fact, she does not own a home and has been living in the party office for nearly three decades. Like most of her colleagues in the party, Mini, the lone woman in the fray in the high-profile segment, believes that the value of life comes from within and is not determined by material possessions or social status.
She lives at the party's state committee office in the Kerala capital, along with her husband and party leader Shajar Khan. The couple's only son Alan M.S. is a degree student at Tirur in Malappuram. Mini joined the party at the age of 22, when she was doing a pharmacy course at the Government Medical College in Thiruvananthapuram.
The firebrand leader of SUCI(C) says she joined the party against the wishes of her parents and siblings. "There was stiff opposition from them and I was forced to quit home during my college days. Initially, I lived at a hostel and later moved to the party office. It was a wise decision for someone who wanted to become a full-time party worker," she says.
Vilappilsala protest
During her political career spanning three decades, Mini was involved in numerous people's movements, small and big, in different parts of the state. The longest and toughest one perhaps was the people's protest against a polluting waste plant at Vilappilsala in the Kerala capital, says the 49-year-old.
"The strike which began as a relay satyagraha ended in a full-blown protest two years later. Somehow, we managed to overcome the numerous sabotage attempts by the government, city corporation and the police. I dedicate the victory to the mighty women in Vilappilsala," she says. What began as occasional outbursts took the form of an organised protest with the intervention of the SUCI(C).
As the party's designated leader to Vilappilsala, Mini's initial assignment was to organise the local women. "We formed committees for every fifty households and important decisions were taken by an apex committee. Party did not impose its decisions but equipped people to claim their rights," she said. The people's protest met with success when the government decided to shut the plant.
At the peak of the strike, Mini was detained by the police for one full day. Years later, she was jailed by the police for accompanying Mahija, the mother of engineering student Jishnu Pranoy, to the DGP's office. Jishnu was found dead at the hostel of Nehru Engineering College in Thrissur and Mahija was proceeding to the DGP's office to protest against the delay in arresting those who allegedly pushed Jishnu into suicide.
Mini was arrested by the police on conspiracy charges. She was jailed and released after eight days of judicial remand. The police are yet to file a charge-sheet in the court.
Nurses' rights
The Indian Nurses Parents Association which works for nurses' rights was established under Mini's leadership. The idea of an organisation of parents was to help nurses who couldn't come out in the open against their employers. Mini travelled extensively in the country to resolve the issues faced by nurses and nursing students.
One incident she vividly recalls is the visit to a private medical college at Nellore in Andhra Pradesh. The college had not returned the certificates of about 50 students, mostly Keralites, who refused to execute an illegal bond for a no-pay job after studies. The management did not change their stand in the deliberations with the INPA. Finally, Mini, with the help of a local SUCI leader, approached the district collector. She convinced him about the Supreme Court order banning the bond system at educational institutions. The collector then issued an order asking the management to return the certificates.
Though the mission was successful, Mini says the collector was transferred within a few days, allegedly owing to the pressure from the college management which had considerable political clout. The manager later became the education minister in that state, she says.
SUCI(C) contesting eight seats
The party has fielded candidates in eight seats in the 2024 Lok Sabha election. Mini is the candidate in the Thiruvananthapuram seat. The other constituencies are Kollam, Mavelikkara, Alappuzha, Kottayam, Ernakulam, Chalakudy and Kozhikode. Campaigning is in full swing and the party has good visibility in all the places.
The party's first unit in Kerala was formed by a group of students of the TKM College of Engineering, Kollam. It stepped into electoral politics by fielding Kochucherukkan in the Eravipuram seat for the 1970 Assembly election. The party's first Lok Sabha candidate James Joseph who contested from the Kollam seat garnered over 8000 votes.
Founded in 1948, the SUCI(C) had a presence in the assemblies of West Bengal, Assam, Bihar and Odisha at different times. Its lone MP was in the 15th Lok Sabha -- Tharun Mandal who was elected from West Bengal.
Today, the Kerala unit of SUCI(C) has about 1200 full-time cadres and a few thousands of members.The party intervened in numerous public issues and equipped people to fight for their rights. It took the lead to unite people and organisations to fight for people's rights on issues ranging from the mineral sand mining at Thrikkunnapuzha to the anti-K-Rail protest. The party played a significant role in the people's movements at Chengara, Vilappilsala and Moolampilly.
