Conventional political rivalry between the ruling front and the Opposition seems poised to acquire a legal edge with Leader of the Opposition V.D. Satheesan and senior leader Ramesh Chennithala set to move the High Court seeking a court-monitored inquiry into the alleged high-level corruption and nepotism in the multi-crore Keltron traffic camera deal.
Concurrently, the Congress will herald a season of aggressive anti-government protests by convening people’s assemblies in all 140 constituencies on June 20 to muster public opinion against the government.
The parallel moves also signal a closing of ranks in the Congress following a bruising bout of factional wrangling over party appointments.
Back-to-back police investigations against Mr. Satheesan and Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president K. Sudhakaran have given a biting sharpness and strident tone to the current bickering between the two fronts.
The Congress is also riding on the crest of a media blitz against the government following a “trail of cases” against journalists. Notably, Mr. Satheesan declared that media freedom was in dire health in Kerala. He accused CPI(M) loyalists in the police of targeting journalists and Opposition politicians at the behest of the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) to shield Student Federation of India (SFI) and Democratic Youth Federation of India Marxist (DYFI) leaders accused of a range of crime, including examination, college election and government employment fraud.
KPCC president K. Sudhakaran said the government’s declared devotion to media freedom was a sham. He said the recent cases against Opposition politicians and journalists contradicted the CPI(M)‘s presentational rhetoric about media freedom and democracy.
The Congress is also leaning on Mr. Vijayan’s “foreign junkets”, Loka Kerala Sabha’s “extravagance”, Uralungal Labour Cooperative Society “corruption”, and instances of CPI(M) workers amassing symbols of wealth and getting embroiled in criminal cases to put the government in the dock.
Upper hand in LS polls
The party believes its current tack would likely open a path, albeit narrow, for an Opposition upper hand in the 2024 Lok Sabha campaign, given the UDF’s modestly good showing in the recent local body by-elections.
A CPI(M) insider said the party and government had weathered worse media campaigns and Opposition propaganda. It was not unusual for the police to summon politicians and journalists as part of active criminal investigations, and the current media outcry had no foundational basis and would peter out soon. He claimed Mr. Vijayan’s district-level high-profile public outreach programme to resolve civic issues and citizens’ grievances in September was a potential game changer that would help the government turn the tables on the Opposition.
