THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: In a stark difference from its predecessor, the newly assumed Congress government in Kerala has decided not to adopt a confrontational path with the Centre.
In an exclusive interview with TNIE Editor Santwana Bhattacharya on Monday, Chief Minister V D Satheesan, however, made it clear that the UDF government will continue the political and ideological fight.
In his first major interview after assuming office, Satheesan also rejected the CPM’s criticism that he had been going soft on the BJP-led Union government, saying he doesn’t intend to declare war against the Centre.
“It’s not my job... Whenever there are issues, we will try to sort it out. I have made courtesy calls to the prime minister, the home minister, the finance minister and the minister for ports,” he said.
Satheesan, who also holds the finance portfolio, said there are occasions to present the state’s case before the GST council and NITI Aayog. “In my (budget) speech I said our devolution is dipping. In the 10th Finance Commission, we had 3.5%. In the 15th, it was 1.9%. The 15th Finance Commission granted Rs 55,000 crore as revenue deficit grant, but it’s not there now,” he said.
Maintaining that the state would prefer to have cordial relations with the Centre, Satheesan asserted that there will be no compromise with anyone trying to spread communal poison.
“We’ll fight over political issues. On core issues, we align with the AICC stance. We have taken a tough secular stand,” the chief minister underlined.
Excerpts:
With a new dispensation in power, there’s meant to be a change in the manner of governance. What are the new aspects?
The manner of governance is different from the previous dispensation. If we tread the same path – as that of the previous government – Kerala won’t survive. We have thought about Kerala’s future and are hence making a few deviations. First, we have to understand there’s a strong demographic change in Kerala. Compared to other states, life expectancy is high in Kerala.
So the ageing population is increasing. In another first, we are even set to introduce a dedicated legislation for senior citizens. Secondly, we intend to take steps to prevent brain-drain. Many of our higher education courses are outdated. We are in the process of identifying national and international experts in different sectors to monitor key developments and collate the same. Based on their reports, we will restructure the curriculum and start new academic programmes.
You are talking about state universities, right?
Yes. We’ve also announced the setting up of a Knowledge Valley. Our dream is to bring in legacy universities to Kerala. We would provide them land and other facilities. We have decided to send a team under noted people like Dr Shashi Tharoor to different universities, to invite them to open their centres here. Our vision is to convert Kerala into an education destination.
Our dream project however is the Port City. We have 600km of coastline, two international seaports, one container terminal, and 17 mini ports. We want to integrate all these to transform the entire state into a port city. Another dream is to set up an international maritime museum. We’ve a lengthy maritime history.
Will the museum be in Kochi?
Yes. Because we have the Muziris Heritage Project, archaeological excavation is going on even now at the 2,000-year-old port. We have found some remains that are proof of how even centuries ago we had trade relations with 31 countries across the globe.
So you want the state to be involved in the development of human capital? In the process, are you going to revisit a little bit of the current industrial policy in addition to welfare measures?
Definitely. We have four international airports within close proximity. Two of them are run by the state government. We have prepared 27 aviation projects to make Kerala an aviation hub. Changi Airport (in Singapore) has come forward to invest in Kerala. We have also announced a global convention centre, pilot training institute, and an aircraft maintenance centre, among several other aviation establishments.
When in opposition, we had started preparations as we had complained about the government for long. The question then was, “When the government falls, what’s your plan?” We could be the first opposition in India to prepare well in advance for projects to be implemented once we come to power.
How do you plan to rejuvenate Kerala economy?
First, by following the best finance management. The second is to prevent leakage. Then, stimulate the economy through economic activities by bringing in more investment. There’s no other solution. Regarding taxation, we are not for increasing taxes, rather for widening the tax network.
One of your admirers was saying you were a bit like VS (Achuthanandan), a people’s politician...
(Smiles). We have a plan for the state. The fiscal situation is highly vulnerable. But more taxation is not the solution. I haven’t imposed any new tax. I was shocked at the huge amount of money being lost due to inefficiency and a lack of proper mechanism. We have to change the existing system and take some bold steps. It’s difficult to deviate from conventional practices.
Here, you have to compete not with northern states but with our southern counterparts like Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Andhra...
Absolutely. That’s why we plan to exploit our advantages. Our disadvantage is high population density. There’s also the Western Ghats where forest laws are applicable. On the coast, there’s CRZ. In between, there’s the Wetlands Act. A majority of the land is restricted by different legislations. Such land is very precious. Hence, acquiring it is a challenge. We are in the process of bringing out a land management policy. We’d collect all land holdings. That’s why we announced Land Reforms II.
With issues like the recent Wayanad landslip, how do you plan to sustain developmental activities?
The entire western region is vulnerable due to climate change. When in opposition we brought the International Panel on Climate Change report. Right from Kanyakumari to Gujarat, the entire coastline, including Kerala, is vulnerable. The Arabian Sea is turbulent. Extreme rainfall or cloudburst could happen anytime. We have to protect sensitive regions. Factoring in climate change would be a major component in all our projects.
Will the Wayanad tunnel project continue?
I was the only person to oppose it when it was introduced, but the masses were against me. I was alone. The Western Ghats region is very fragile. In Kerala, there exists more than two lakh samples of soil. Consider the environmental clearance given by the Union ministry. It says you can explore the rock without creating tremors. How can that be done? We need to study the soil situation here in depth. We have appointed an expert panel to look into all such aspects.
You now have four or five of the biggest Indian billionaires coming from this land. How do you tap the expat community for investment in Kerala?
We have been claiming that the backbone of our economy is remittance. But that is not contributing to the development of the state. They are working hard and sending money. And the money comes mostly from the Gulf. Not from Europe. I’m not happy with the European NRIs who are not sending money, because they are investing there. They are availing a house and a lifelong debt. They are not sending anything back. The Gulf people are sending. We want to change that remittance economy to an investment economy.
Now there are tensions, which wasn’t the case earlier, between communities. Is there a competitive atmosphere between communities?
Actually, the Sangh Parivar has been trying to create a split between the Muslim and Christian communities. And the CPM and the Left supported it indirectly. For they hoped we would lose certain vote banks. But we could deal with it very well. We were the mediators. Now there is no problem. All communities voted for us. They brought many issues, like Munambam and others. But we have taken a strong, secular and credible stand. All communities believe in us. We took stands after studying matters in detail. In the Munambam issue, I was the only politician in Kerala who stated that it was not waqf land.
Not even the UDF was convinced…
Yes, they weren’t, but the people were convinced. I stated it was not waqf land on the basis of five points. We studied it in detail and we made a conclusion that it is not waqf land.
What gives you the confidence to take these kinds of positions?
My confidence comes from knowing the psyche of Kerala, it is very different from other states. The majority of the people are highly secular, especially the youngsters, and a major chunk of the seniors too. Some of the political and religious leaders are trying to turn them communal. So, if we take a strong stand, they will be with us.
So you trust the secular psyche of Kerala?
Yes, I believe in the secular psyche of Kerala. I have been noticing this from my college days. That’s why we said the CPM and the so-called Left are not left. They are extreme right. Then I said we are the left. But it did not go down well with the Congress rank and file. Then I said we are the Nehruvian left. Then they accepted it. There are Left fellow travellers, who are not communist party members. They were disappointed. We could attract them. A huge number of such people voted for us.
Should you not thank the CPM for unleashing such a big campaign against you?
(Smiles) Yes, they were my campaigners. I said they were doing my PR work. I had none, they did it for me.
How do you look at the performance of the opposition now?
They are doing their duty. But the problem is that after ruling for ten years, one fine morning, they are talking in a different way. It’s very easy to expose them.
You were one of the most aggressive opposition leaders. How easy was the transition for you... from opposition leader to the CM?
(Smiles) I do not agree that I was very aggressive then. But I am very proud to say that we were the number one opposition in India with regard to the subjects, the content. We brought it to the floor of the assembly. You compare with any opposition in the country, we were the best. We want to make entire Kerala a health as well as education destination. So we started two years back. We conducted conclaves and interactions with experts. For instance, the dream project of Port City. We began interacting with maritime experts and shipping experts, and prepared many projects.
While in the opposition?
Yes. We started early. That’s why we could speak like this. Or else, within 50 days, how can I say this (smiles).
Why is the Congress unable to build this narrative nationally? And what’s your assessment for 2029?
We have to do that. This is the way. Conventional politics has changed. The new generation doesn’t accept such things. So many youngsters are coming up with wonderful ideas.
You love being called Pookie CM?
(Smiles) That was incidental. I cannot smile like that now. Everybody is asking for a repeat, but I can’t.
And now you’ve another challenge to tackle...
(Smiles) The major challenge in interacting with youngsters is that they have their own vocabulary. I used to interact with them. I use their vocabulary. That makes it easy to interact with them. Before winding up, let me say: Our approach is good governance with empathy. That is our motto. We have started a One Kerala Charity Mission too. We are focusing on that.
