THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Playing a solo in Kerala’s largely bi-polar centric coalition politics may not be fruitful for any political party. But a brief period of staying single may prompt or lead an outfit to new political pastures.
Kerala Congress (KC) veteran K M Mani is testing the political waters now, re-checking whether it will pay dividends by taking to the shades of the Left. He has declared that the CPM is not untouchable for the KC.
KC(M) joined hands with the CPM in the Kottayam district panchayat president election last week, and ensured that its candidate is seated in the saddle, throwing a written agreement to support the Congress candidate to the winds. Even after departing from the UDF fold last year and remaining as an independent six-member bloc in the Assembly albeit continuing with a working arrangement, the KC(M) didn’t disturb the prior power sharing pacts entered in the local bodies. Sparks are flying in the X’ian community-concentrated Central Travancore belt, with the KC(M)-UDF power-sharing pacts in many local bodies poised to witness cracks after the Kottayam experiment.
The Congress and UDF were under an impression that the KC will find the political front as a natural ally. A return journey was expected, sooner. Indications of KC(M) turning to the Left has thus virtually shocked the Congress and the UDF. Knee jerk reactions, including from Oommen Chandy, former chief minister, slamming the UDF doors for Mani and Junior Mani, have come.
Even when remaining careful to woo the band of leaders, including former minister P J Joseph and the KC rank and file, the Congress has not reconciled with the ‘betrayal’ of Mani. The former CM remains heavily hurt over the KC supremo’s decision and is in no mood to forgive him.
“Mani and son have closed the doors for a re-entry to the UDF,” Chandy said to The Sunday Standard.
However, Mani and his son Jose K Mani, the Kottayam MP who is calling the shots in the regional outfit now, try hard to assert that they had no role in the alliance with the CPM, terming it as ‘purely local’, even when it has few takers. “The Kottayam District Congress Committee (DCC) was consistently humiliating and belittling the KC(M). The alliance with the CPM was intended to give a big blow to the DCC and teach a lesson,” Mani said.
Mani was noncommittal on furthering ties with the CPM and LDF. Obviously, he has to confront a sizeable section within the party, including working chairman P J Joseph and almost all MLAs, who are frowning at the proposal. The CPM alliance in Kottayam was taken without discussions in any Kerala Congress forums. Switching over to the LDF will not be smooth for other reasons as well, while veteran arch critic, CPM leader V S Achuthanandan, and CPI are on the prowl.
The Left rode to power on the strength of waging a pitched battle against Mani in the Bar scam, apart from the Solar issue and a few other controversies, during the previous UDF regime when he was the finance minister.
The CPM state leadership has not responded so far on the alliance with Mani in the open, even as the official faction is believed to have held a few round of talks with Jose. Checkmating the CPI, the second largest LDF ally, which is not yielding to Big-B CPM and the chief minister on many issues, is a prime reason. The BJP has been left to roll back plans to rope in Mani, and keep a silence over developments.
Mani and political heir-apparent Jose can take U-turns again for some more time, since there are no elections round the corner. Mani remains unfazed, confident on his uncanny knack to overcome hurdles and play dicey games.