V N Vasavan, the lively CPM leader, handles the key portfolios of devaswom, ports and cooperation. While the Sabarimala pilgrimage season is progressing smoothly, the noises surrounding the cooperative banking sector scams have quietened down a bit, showing his adept handling of the situation. In an interaction with TNIE, Vasavan touches upon all these topics.
Excerpts
It seems the government prepared well for the Sabarimala season this year. Even the NSS has openly expressed happiness with the arrangements at Sabarimala...
Yes. The NSS has publicly expressed its appreciation for the facilities and systems in place at Sabarimala. Other organisations, such as the Ayyappa Seva Sangham, have also voiced their approval. The success of the new system can be attributed to the teamwork between various departments including the police, health department, and the devaswom officials.
Can you explain the planning and execution?
We looked at the issues that arise every year so they could be addressed to have a smooth pilgrimage season. Normally, the preparatory meetings begin during September-October. I said let’s start in July, which means two months earlier than usual. First, I visited the Sannidhanam, and on returning, held a state-level meeting at Pampa.
There we decided on the preparatory work. Later, I took the initiative to hold a meeting with all the heads of departments. Another meeting was held in Pathanamthitta and then an online meeting had the CM in attendance.
Later, I went to all edathavalams (halting places for Sabarimala pilgrims) such as Ettumannur, Vaikom, Kadapattoor, Chengannur, Pandalam, Pathanamthitta etc., and held meetings. Normally, ministers do not participate in such meetings, but I attended all but one. Utmost care was taken to provide all amenities to pilgrims.
Any steps in particular?
An important one was regarding parking space. We tarred all roads to Sabarimala well in advance, and then the parking lots. At Nilakkal, the existing parking space could accommodate 8,000 vehicles. We increased it by another 2,500, to accommodate 10,500 vehicles. Second, the other route to Sabarimala is through Erumeli in the north.
After a discussion with the Devaswom Board, we found that the Kerala Housing Board owned a six-acre plot there. We approached the revenue minister, and they took the initiative and prepared the land for parking. So, we got two additional spaces for parking this season.
But there are complaints regarding the limited number of slots for daily darshan...
There are no complaints. I’ll explain. When we discussed the matter with the police, they said there were issues with spot booking. Our decision, taken before the season, was that no devotee would be turned away without getting darshan. The police restriction on spot booking was to ensure that more devotees arrived through the virtual booking system.
If 80,000 pilgrims come per day, the intention is to allow 70,000 through the virtual queue and 10,000 through spot booking. There is one difference this time. Earlier, when a policeman helped a pilgrim onto the 18 sacred steps, one of his hands would be on the rope and the other on the devotee. That way, only 65 pilgrims could go through in a minute. Now, the policeman can sit and help the pilgrims, and thus, 85 pilgrims can go through in a minute. When there’s no delay, the pilgrims are also happy.
Do you mean to say that more pilgrims can be accommodated now and that there can be relaxations in the quota when the need arises?
Even if there’s a sudden surge in pilgrims, we can accommodate them, unlike in the past. While some devotees cancel or postpone their visits, the system allows for adjustments.
A recent incident involving policemen taking photos in front of the sacred steps at Sabarimala sparked a controversy...
Taking photos in front of the steps is against temple rituals, according to the court ruling. The police deployed at Sannidhanam go through great strain. It is strenuous work. After 10 days of toil at Sannidhanam, they felt the need for a photo by the pathinettam padi (18 holy steps). It is natural, but when the court says it is against the rituals, we have to take action.
But it is the same place where an RSS leader, Valsan Thillankeri, earlier stood with his back to the Sanctum Sanctorum and addressed people?
True... he stood with his back facing the deity and was shouting. What he did was wrong, but just because he did it, the actions of the policemen do not become right. We believe everyone should respect and follow the rules and rituals of the temple.
In the past, the Ayyapa Seva Sangham used to provide free food (annadanam) to pilgrims in many places. But that has now stopped...
The High Court has said that only the annadanam of the devaswom is permitted because there is a wrong tendency in many places related to annadanam. Some are collecting funds in the name of providing food. There is also the quality of the food served, and the court ruled that only the devaswom can do it.
There is a suggestion that the virtual queue system should be handled by the Devaswom Board and not the police...
If we want to progress to the Tirupati model, our current virtual queue system must evolve to its full potential. In Tirupati, the system is very easy... all you need is an Aadhaar card. It will take us some more time to reach that status.
The government has been cautious and prompt in providing facilities to Sabarimala pilgrims after 2018. Is it because of the backlash suffered due to the stand taken by the CPM in the women’s entry issue?
The party has always been consistent in its stand that the Sabarimala pilgrimage should be conducted adhering to the rituals and practices of the temple. That is not a new decision. The CPM always upholds secularism.
The party will not take any step that will hurt the sentiments of devotees. In issues related to faith, the CPM upholds the rights guaranteed by the Constitution. We will not take a stand violating the rituals and practices of any religion.
What is the current stand on women’s entry to the Sabarimala temple?
Our current stand is still very much in line with the Supreme Court order. We don’t have any other opinion. The issue is still in front of the Supreme Court. Let’s wait for the verdict. There is no decision by either the party or the government that women have to enter the shrine.
You are one of the most silent but efficient ministers in the second Pinarayi government and you are handling some of the most sensitive departments. What is the reason for the chief minister’s confidence in you?
I always try to complete the task assigned to me diligently and take advice from the chief minister. Our captain is strong and very supportive. In my opinion, administration is an art and we have to study the issue and make timely decisions.
We have to use the services of our subordinates, recognising their strengths and weaknesses. We should not take up a task that we cannot accomplish.
It is said that you are one of the two troubleshooters of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan in central Kerala. Is it true?
(Laughs). I have always tried to rush to the spot and support rescue operations during disasters. From the Aimkombu bus tragedy in 1998 to the boat tragedies in Thekkady and Kumarakom, Changanassery tipper accident, and the Koottikkal and Wayanad landslides, I have always been at the forefront of rescue operations.
Once actor Mammootty asked, ‘How do you manage to reach accident spots before the Fire Force.’ Whenever I hear the siren of a fire tender, I contact the fire force and seek details about the accident. I feel it is the duty of a social worker to be at the forefront of rescue and relief work during disasters. Our intervention may help reduce the magnitude of the disaster and save precious lives.
Coming to the cooperative sector, several scams have been unearthed in the sector. And some party leaders are also involved. Why is this happening?
In general, the cooperative sector in Kerala is gaining strength. When we look at the credit sector, Kerala accounts for 71% of India’s credit in the cooperative sector. The sector here boasts an investment of Rs 2.60 lakh crore - a scale unmatched by any other state in India. This success has unfortunately attracted scrutiny from the central authorities.
What’s the status of the Karuvannur cooperative bank issue?
To date, around Rs 130 crore has been returned to the depositors. Even people who had to be paid Rs 1 lakh have been given their money back.
Are people reinvesting in the bank?
Yes. I have been told about instances where people who had to be returned amounts to the tune of Rs 10 lakh decided to withdraw only Rs 1 lakh, leaving the remaining Rs 9 lakh as deposit in the bank. The bank is back in business. It has begun granting gold loans.
Don’t you think there was a systemic failure in the Karuvannur bank? Complaints about the bank had surfaced in 2009, 2011 and 2019...
Complaints regarding irregularities at the bank have been raised since 2009. It should be noted that these complaints highlighted the names of officials occupying top posts at the bank. Taking cognizance of the complaints, I suspended 16 of these officers.
It was a first in the history of the cooperative sector. I was advised against it. However, I stood by my decision. Even the union representatives came to meet me.
Have you felt that the way the CPM handled the Karuvannur Cooperative Bank issue was not right?
No. We had taken the stand that everyone associated with the bank, including the board of directors, had failed in their duties. That was the reason why action was taken against each one of them. They were suspended. We had taken action against them within the party.
But the delay in taking action had adversely affected CPM’s credibility...
Well, we can’t act without receiving the report. We can’t jump the gun. We constituted an investigation committee and took action based on its probe report. No other party will take such an action.
Former KPCC secretary K K Abraham was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in the Pulpally Service Cooperative Bank scam. Then there are the Puthur Cooperative Bank and the Thiruvithamcore Cooperative Bank scams. Both were UDF-governed banks. Did they take action against the culprits? No!
Was the party leadership in Thrissur not aware of the issues with the cooperative bank scam? It proved crucial during the election in Thrissur...
The Thrissur leadership did not spare anyone when the matter was presented before them with evidence. Strict action has been taken against those involved.
The party hasn’t taken measures anywhere in Thrissur, including in Karuvannur...
What you said is absolutely wrong. We’ve taken action against a district secretariat member, and then area committee and LC members...
But there is suspicion of the involvement of certain top party leaders...
It’s natural to put top leaders under the scanner. But, for instance, have they found A C Moideen, who had handled the department, guilty of any wrongdoing anywhere? He doesn’t become guilty just because the media has written against him.
Now, they have lifted the freeze on his account. One can raise allegations against anyone. But one becomes an accused only after the charge against him/her is proved. No such person (top leader) has become an accused anywhere in any such case.
How do you evaluate the merger of district cooperative banks with the Kerala Bank? There are views that DCBs have lost their operational freedom and that the earlier system was better...
These are false narratives. As a matter of fact, had Kerala Bank not been formed, several district cooperative banks including the Thiruvananthapuram Cooperative Bank could have been closed by now. Several district cooperative banks had high NPAs and their operations were on the verge of closure. However, after Kerala Bank was formed, all these banks turned profit-making entities in four years.
The NPA of Kerala Bank is 18.01%, having come down from 38% when Kerala Bank was formed. At one stage, the NPA came down to 13%. In a recent meeting, I have directed that NPA be brought down to 7% and that it should not rise above 10%.
Has Malappuram District Cooperative Bank merged with Kerala Bank?
Yes, the merger is complete. We did it after getting a verdict from the court. Now, the case is with the Supreme Court. RBI has favoured us in the case as per the affidavit filed at the court.
Have issues like the Karuvannur bank scam affected the deposits of cooperative banks? Are people, especially youngsters, hesitant to deposit money with the bank?
In some places, there were large deposit withdrawals. Primarily, the credibility of the bank is a key factor. If a bank is performing well, people will not withdraw their deposits. In some places, people withdrew money after hearing news about scams. Later, they returned and deposited the money. It shows that people have confidence in the cooperative sector.
What’s the politics behind the entry of the multi-state cooperatives?
One aspect is the wealth itself. The Union government is attempting to control the cooperative sector, which has an investment of Rs 2.5 lakh crore. Secondly, Kerala has over 400 products in the cooperative sector, and now we have even started exporting some of them. There are attempts to divert these products to multi-state cooperative societies.
Is the AR Nagar Cooperative Society in Malappuram another Karuvannur-like scam in the making?
There is no scam in the AR Nagar Cooperative Society. The issue is that they received more deposits through benamis. According to the regulations, only members can deposit or avail loans from cooperative societies. Even those wishing to join a chit fund have to take a C-Class membership.
Do you feel the changing governments weren’t giving the cooperation department the importance it deserved until the Karuvannur scam broke out?
Not at all. The first cooperation minister in Kerala was Joseph Mundassery in 1957. Thereafter, P R Kurup, M V Raghavan, Pinarayi Vijayan and many other stalwarts have managed the cooperation department.
Moving to Kottayam politics, speculation is that the Kerala Congress Mani Group is going back to the UDF…
That is totally baseless. Their chairman himself has clarified that there’s no such agenda at all. It’s just cooked up by the media. We have to believe his words for now.
But there is some rift between the CPM and the Kerala Congress (M) in various local bodies...
There are no such issues in any of the panchayats now. The only issue was in Pala municipality, which has already been sorted out and the person who created the issue has been ousted. We are on good terms with the KC(M) and are working together in all matters.
Actually, the Congress and the Opposition didn’t get the result they expected in the Chelakkara by-election. They are now finding ways to block a third term for the LDF by creating such false news.
There is talk that Christian votes are going to the BJP. How do you see it?
Not at all. I haven’t noticed any such shift in voting patterns in Kottayam. They invite union ministers and governors to their events. That does not mean they vote for the BJP. Christians have been watching the BJP government’s stand on the Manipur issue. Has the PM visited the place? We cannot say the minorities trust the BJP.
Manipur does not directly affect Christians here. But Munambam does...
But they (BJP) need to make a decision that is convincing for them as well.
LDF lost the sitting seat in Kottayam during the parliament elections...
Not just Kottayam, right? They (KC-M) changed the front and came to the LDF. We know that the voting patterns in parliament and state elections are different. We saw the difference this time as well.
In the recent election, how do you evaluate the performance of LDF in Palakkad?
It was good, as we got 800 more votes. Sarin gave a good fight. He managed to put the UDF on the defensive. Had SDPI and Jamaat-e-Islami not been there, what would have been their situation?
The situation is that the CPM doesn’t have a candidate in Palakkad...
There is Lenin’s theory, which stresses on the use of the divisions on the side of the enemies for the growth of working-class politics. After the election, we saw that the candidate performed well. We also got one of the best workers in the Congress camp.
Coming to the ports ministry, what’s the status of the commissioning of the Vizhinjam port?
Earlier, the decision was to commission it in December. Recently, we signed the supplementary agreement. The takeaway is that the four phases will be completed by 2028. Secondly, the return on investments was estimated to be received from 2039.
Now, we will get it in 2034. Thirdly, the VGF (viability gap funding) we had to give was Rs 480 crore. It has come down to Rs 365 crore, and we had to give only half of it in the first phase. These achievements are significant.
TNIE team: Kiran Prakash, Sasidharan Nair M K, Rajesh Abraham, Anil S, Rajesh Ravi, Shyam P V, Harikrishna B, A Sanesh (photos), Pranav V P (video)