A day before he was sworn in as Kerala chief minister in 2016, Pinarayi Vijayan held a media conference. He advised everyone to be careful of certain “avatars”—crooks who claimed they were close to the government, and used it as leverage to strike illegitimate deals.
Vijayan, apparently, did not heed his own advice. With assembly elections less than a year away, it has landed the government in a spate of controversies that led to a no-trust motion in the assembly. The government defeated the motion, but not before Vijayan was compelled to speak for hours defending his government.
Barely a few months ago, the Left Democratic Front led by Vijayan was hailed by national and international media for its efficient handling of the Covid-19 pandemic. The social welfare measures initiated by the government during the lockdown were also praised as a model of good governance. The government’s good performance had the opposition rattled. A survey held at that time predicted that the LDF would return to power after the assembly polls, breaking Kerala’s 40-year tradition of not re-electing an incumbent government. The survey said 86 per cent of respondents wanted Vijayan as the chief minister.
But all that is old story now.
A series of controversies are eroding the government’s credibility. It all began with the seizure of 30kg of gold from a consignment addressed to the UAE consulate in Thiruvananthapuram. The smuggling case soon became a political hot button when it was revealed that the main accused in the case, Swapna Suresh, had links with M. Sivasankar, principal secretary to the chief minister. The opposition alleged that Swapna was one of the “avatars” who had considerable influence in the government. Though Vijayan removed Sivasankar from the post the day after the scandal broke, the damage had been done.
The National Investigation Agency, which is probing the case, has twice questioned Sivasankar in connection with the smuggling case. The customs department and the Enforcement Directorate have also questioned him. There is no evidence that links Sivasankar to the case, but it is clear that he has close ties with Swapna. And that has been enough to put the LDF government under a cloud of suspicion.
“Sivasankar may not have anything to do with gold smuggling,” said N.M. Pearson, a political observer known for his left leanings. “But it is a huge embarrassment that the secretary to a chief minister belonging to a left party has got involved in such a nasty case.” According to him, the incident shows the “depoliticisation” of left parties.
The smuggling case led to more skeletons tumbling out of the LDF government’s closet. Higher Education Minister K.T. Jaleel, a prominent Muslim face in the government, was accused of accepting money and ‘gifts’ weighing 4,000kg from the consulate in March. The minister said the gifts were copies of the Quran, but the opposition alleged that some of the packets contained smuggled gold. The ED has already started an investigation into the matter.
The Life Mission, the government’s housing scheme for the homeless, is also embroiled in allegations. Swapna, who earlier worked at the consulate, allegedly received kickbacks for an apartment project sponsored by Red Crescent. The government, however, has denied the allegation.
“It is ridiculous to raise such allegations against a project that has built homes for more than two lakh people across the state,” said M.B. Rajesh, CPI(M) leader and former Lok Sabha member. “All these allegations are meant to just hoodwink people. Once the smoke clears, people will see the good deeds done by this government.”
The government, however, has been lurching from trouble to trouble. It had long been opposing the Union government’s move to lease out the Thiruvananthapuram International Airport to Adani Group, and had even enlisted the opposition Congress’s support in the effort. Recently, though, it was revealed that a legal firm that had links to Adani Group had served as consultant to the government on the matter.
That these violations happened under his nose will be a matter of regret for Vijayan. “Yes, he is hurt because he had trusted Sivasankar absolutely,” said a source close to Vijayan. “Even when others pointed fingers at the latter, the chief minister trusted him because Sivasankar had such a blemish-free track record.”
The source, however, insisted that the controversies had not affected Vijayan personally or officially. “His routine is the same,” he said. “All work is happening per schedule. Only that there is more caution these days. He is a fighter and he has survived worse battles.”
Vijayan’s recent losses have been opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala’s gain. Until a few weeks ago, the towering image of the chief minister had dwarfed Chennithala and his efforts to discredit the government. It had even led to a section of the Congress demanding that former chief minister Oommen Chandy be made opposition leader. It was argued that only Chandy had the charisma to effectively take on Vijayan.
But the smuggling case has helped Chennithala eclipse both his rivals. “The case was a golden opportunity for Chennithala,” said K. Saju, senior journalist. “He upset the moral high ground of Vijayan and the Left government, and established his supremacy in the Congress.”
According to Pearson, the government suffers from centralisation of power. “If the LDF government has done a good job, the entire credit goes to Pinarayi Vijayan for anchoring both the government and the party,” he said. “But if something has gone wrong, the blame for that, too, should go to him. That is the price one has to pay for centralising power.”