Former Union minister of state for home affairs and Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee president Mullappally Ramachandran faced the wrath of the state government and social media over his remarks against state Health Minister K.K. Shailaja, who he suggested was trying to build her image instead of taking steps to contain the spread of COVID-19 in the state. In an exclusive interview to THE WEEK, Ramachandran talks about the controversy and the Congress-led United Democratic Front's prospects in the 2021 assembly elections in Kerala.
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said your comments against the health minister demoralised healthcare workers in the state. What do you have to say?
It has not demoralised anybody other than the CPI(M) leaders in Kerala. Have you seen the kind of language the CPI(M) leaders use, especially against women politicians? I have not committed any mistake. If I commit a mistake, I am the first person to say sorry. I did not address the minister by her name. I never said she is not competent. The real stars of Kerala are the dedicated doctors, committed nurses and paramedical staff, including the ASHA workers who are at the forefront of the fight against COVID-19.
This (the comments) happened during a strike launched by (leader of opposition) Ramesh Chennithala; and (Muslim League MLA) M.K. Muneer mentioned something about the health minister. Taking that as a reference, I said during the time of Nipah (in May 2018), the health minister of Kerala used to visit Perambra like a guest artist. I was camping during that time in Changaroth panchayat, the epicentre of Nipah, to help families who were affected by the virus. I never saw any of the ministers, including the health minister, visit these places or give comfort to the people who were affected then. They used to conveniently sit in Kozhikode government guest house and the collectorate, and speak to the media as if they are doing everything.
I am sad that the media blew my comment out of proportion. I just stated a fact.
Your ally Muslim league said you could have avoided those comments against the health minister. Is the UDF united?
The Muslim League, as a party, never opposed my comment or passed any resolution against it. It was an individual leader's comment. Muslim League's state committee did not say anything about my statement. The UDF is united. Some people are trying to create problems in the UDF. We are not divided. This is not going to work.
How do you rate the performance of the Kerala government in tackling the COVID-19 virus?
The government of Kerala is doing nothing to contain the virus. The performance of the government is disastrous. If the situation in the state is better as compared to other states, credit for it goes to the doctors, nurses, paramedicals and all their support staff, who, at the cost of their lives, are saving so many people in Kerala on a daily basis. Testings are not happening in Kerala as compared to other states. What does the government achieve by hiding the numbers? We need more virology institutes in the state. There is no coordination between the Central and state governments. After the rainy season, the number of waterborne diseases in the state will only increase. There is no planning happening, there is no action being taken. The state government has failed on multiple fronts. The government is only interested in doing PR exercise and nothing else.
How confident are you of the United Democratic Front coming back to power in the state? How many seats will the UDF win in 2021? They say there are many probable chief ministerial candidates in the UDF. Are you one of them?
We are confident of performing very well in the 2021 assembly elections and coming back to power. It is a myth that the LDF government is doing well and will return to power. The truth is people are unhappy with its performance. They promise a lot, but do nothing. I had predicted during the 2019 Lok Sabha polls that the Congress-led alliance in Kerala will win all 20 seats. We almost won all the seats. We lost one seat by a thin margin. I was given the task by the high command, and I fulfilled it to the best of my ability.
I am confident now that our front will do very well even in 2021 and come back to power. It will be premature to reveal the number of seats that we will win. But we are sure to come back to power.
The Congress has no dearth of good leaders. As far as I am concerned, I am not an office seeker. I have, and will always, work day and night for the party. My cultural ethos have told me not to run behind any post. I have an unblemished record as a party worker. I am an obedient servant of the party. Even today, during the time of COVID, I regularly go to the party office and contact all district presidents, to understand from them where we need to improve. I am the son of a freedom fighter who sacrificed everything for his country. I am not concerned about what others say. I am a man of principle and the enlightened people of Kerala have always appreciated my stand. My only mission now is to bring the Congress back to power (in Kerala) in 2021 with an impressive majority.
