Mohan, here is something not so pleasant about "back home"
indian-express.com
The coup in Kerala
T V R Shenoy
Comrade Raja of the CPI has been quoted saying he doesn't know how India can possibly talk to a military dictatorship in Pakistan. How should one classify this -- sheer silliness or unmitigated cheek?
Why is it silly? Well, if Raja can remember that far back -- and he is old enough to do so -- India negotiated the Indus Waters Treaty and the Tashkent Agreement with Ayub Khan. Nor, come to that, did India break off relations when Zia took over. And surely non-interference in the internal affairs of other nations has been a cornerstone of India's diplomatic plank since the days of Panchsheel?
So much for silliness. Why is Raja's statement also brazen? Well, Communists the world over have never been known for their adherence to democratic norms. That was true of the Soviet Union, it is true of contemporary China, and I am ashamed to note that it is no less true of my own home state of Kerala.
Which brings up an interesting statistic: if Bihar recorded the largest number of incidents of violence during therecent General Election, which state came second? Believe it or not, Kerala, with a whopping 173 such cases being recorded. And there is reason to believe that each instance can be traced to the desperation of the Left.
The communists are right to be afraid. In 1996, the United Democratic Front (UDF) -- the Congress-led alliance -- polled 1,10,994 votes more than the Left. In 1998, the lead was 2,19,949. And this year, the lead was 5,06,196. These numbers, just over five lakh this year, may not sound like much; but in Kerala, elections have been won and lost by a fraction of one percent. And the difference might have been greater if not for the special tactics employed by the Left this year.
Let me cite a few examples of democracy as practised in communist-ruled states. Take a look at the polling percentages in five booths in the Kasargode Lok Sabha constituency -- 98.05 percent in Booth 126, 98 percent in Booth 165, 97.8 percent in Booth 21, 97 percent in Booth 152, and 95.8 percent in Booth 182-- figures worthy of comparison to Hitlerite Germany! These are merely five drops in the bucket -- as many as 243 booths spread over the Kasargode and Kannur Lok Sabha seats recorded poll percentages in the vicinity of 90 percent.
I should add that anything above 90 percent is considered suspicious. The rule of the thumb, acknowledged as fair by most political parties, is that something between 65 percent and 70 percent is about as high as it gets. (And in places like South Delhi it will be half of that!) So how did Kasargode and Kannur come up with such extraordinary figures?
Answering that question in detail would fill up this page. Suffice it to say that the full bag of dirty tricks was on display in Kasargode and Kannur.
The impersonation of pro-UDF or pro-BJP voters? The casting of votes in the name of dead voters? The casting of voter in the names of people who weren't in town on voting day? The enrolment of pro-Left Front voters in more than one place? And, if all else failed, the intimidation of works and poll agents affiliated to the UDF and the BJP?
All these tactics were employed to ensure victories for the Left Front's candidates. And quite effectively I should add -- in as many as 49 booths in Kasargode there wasn't a single agent from the UDF or the BJP because they were just too terrified to disregard the threats. They were the lucky ones; in at least 15 booths, UDF and BJP representatives who did turn up were summarily pushed out.
How about Kannur? UDF polling agents were assaulted and driven out from 11 booths. It goes without saying that many more simply stayed away altogether thanks to the intimidatory tactics employed by their opponents; in at least 39 booths there don't appear to have been any UDF or BJP representatives.I could go on and on in depressing detail -- giving the precise booth numbers, naming constituencies other than Kasargode and Kannur where democracy was raped, and so on -- but by now you have got the gist of it.
There is, however, one morepoint that must be tackled. Where were all the guardians of law and order while such blatant rigging was going on? After all, the police and the district administration in some of these constituencies had previously classified some booths as either 'sensitive' or 'hyper-sensitive'. (Shades of Bihar again!) So where were the extra forces who should have been posted on election day?
Sadly, only the routine complement was present -- consisting of a single uniformed policeman accompanied by a special police officer. Is that really good enough for a 'sensitive' booth? Especially when the Election Commission had directed the local authorities to take precautionary measures?
The Congress and its UDF allies have complained that in several areas the policemen on duty simply stood by and allowed the rigging to continue unhampered. In all honesty, I cannot blame the constables -- how could one or two men stand up to gangs of eight or ten? But it is another matter altogether if the police didn't just stand aside,but actually took direction from senior members of the CPI(M).
It has been alleged that the police's wireless network was used to contact V. S. Achuthanandan, the convenor of the Left Front. It appears that a message was sent at least thrice that the Circle Inspector of Pulinkunnu Police Station was to contact Achuthanandan. Any guesses why?
Fifty years on, we are all used to taking poll-time violence in Bihar in our stride, thinking rigging almost a routine affair in that unhappy state. But shouldn't we also look at the Left Front's unique take on democracy in the states it rules? One television channel carried a story on malpractices in West Bengal. But the story seems to have died -- even though the journalist on the job was assaulted. I cannot help wondering if the media would have been equally blase had this happened in, say, Lucknow or Gandhinagar. As for the rigging in Kerala, well, that seems to have been ignored altogether.
There are plenty of people who shall be willing to pontificate on the dangers to India posed by the coup in neighbouring Pakistan. I put it to you that what happened in Kasargode, Kannur, and other constituencies is a far greater threat to democracy -- concern for democracy should, like charity, begin at home.
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