THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Six days after the breakfast camaraderie between Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman took place at Kerala House, the serenity was broken on Tuesday when the latter unleashed a fierce attack on the CPM and Kerala in the Rajya Sabha.
The sudden outburst of anger and criticism against the alleged ‘nokkukooli’ and the industries being closed has surprised both the Congress and the Left. The Union minister’s attack on the CPM came at a time when the Congress in the state accused the CPM of forming a nexus with the BJP ahead of the next assembly election.
After the proactive role taken by Governor Rajendra Arlekar by bringing together the MPs from the state and his readiness to be present at the meeting between the CM and the Union finance minister, the CPM and the government have been in a positive mood about the outcomes. In Parliament, the CPM MPs from the state had taken extra care while raising questions to the finance minister.
On Wednesday in Rajya Sabha, while asking a question, CPM MP John Brittas expressed gratitude to the minister for going over to Kerala House to have breakfast with Pinarayi. “Nirmala Sitharaman does not like anyone obstructing her while she is replying or speaking in Parliament,” an MP told TNIE. “If she is obstructed or provoked, she will go after that MP and his or her party,” he said on condition of anonymity.
Kerala CPM MPs are careful not to provoke her unnecessarily. However, while Nirmala was replying to the Manipur budget discussion, CPM’s Rajya Sabha parliamentary party leader and MP from West Bengal, Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharya, said what is happening in Manipur is unprecedented. He also told the minister that the present government could not compare the situation with that of the earlier.
“An annoyed minister reportedly asked Bikash whether he is from the CPM, and went on to ask whether he had any doubts about it,” CPI MP P Sandosh Kumar told TNIE. “Then she criticised Bengal and went on to say that the ‘nokkukooli’ still existed, and that kind of Communism had killed industries in WB and Kerala,” he said. Sandosh also raised objections to the minister’s comments.
Kerala CPM is upset with the developments. “We fight with the Centre on various issues,” a senior CPM leader told TNIE. “That is a political fight. In parliamentary politics there exists a give-and- take situation. We can’t destroy it through careless action,” he said.