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Anti-Nayanar strike makes Congressmen smile at each other

The prospect of fighting the Communists has brought together the warring factions of the Congress in Kerala.

The faction-ridden party, which even resisted its high command's attempt for unity in the state unit, have rallied together against their traditional foe for the panchayat ( local body) election. They have now launched a high-voltage agitation against the capture of the Payyavur panchayat in Kannur district by the Communist Party of India-Marxist, which heads the Left Democratic Front government in the state.

An agitation, thus, has been on without any sign of petering out since September 1, after a Congress-sponsored no-confidence motion against the CPI-M president was prevented from being taken up. The ruling party, the allegation goes, sabotaged the exercise by detaining six Congress members in police custody under the pretext of providing them security.

The agitation started with an indefinite hunger strike by legislator K C Joseph, who belongs to the A K Antony faction. When he was forced to end the fast after four days due to deterioration in health, the K Karunakaran group's strongman in north Kerala, K Sudhakaran, took it up. He persisted for 12 days, after which Mullappally Ramachandran, MP, who has been keeping away from all the four groups in the state unit, took over.

Cutting across group affiliations, Congress leaders have expressed keenness to sit on fast. Senior members, thus, have been frequenting Kannur to lend moral support to the agitators. Rallies, group fasts and demonstrations are all on in the district.

Interestingly, the Indian Union Muslim League, the second largest constituent of the United Democratic Front, the opposition to the LDF, has refused to associate with the Congress in its crusade. Their enemy, they claim, is the Bharatiya Janata Party, not the Communists.

The IUML, in fact, has been enlisting the Left parties' support in their fight. The party is busy organising campaigns against the BJP, with support from the Rashtriya Loktantrik Morcha, led by Mulayam Singh Yadav. The rally it organised in Kozhikode early this month under the campaign has been rated a big success.

The IUML plans another rally at Thiruvannathapuram tomorrow.

Meanwhile, the Congress has moved the high court about the dention of Congress leaders. But the differences in the UDF are helping the government to take the agitation lightly. It has not made any serious initiative for a solution .

Chief Minister E K Nayanar's claim is that he is helpless in the matter since it is sub judice.

The Congress sees the issue as a naked violation of all democratic norms. Party leaders say that the illegal detention exposes the government's scant respect for judiciary. They point out that the police had violated the high court order on providing security to the six members to reach the panchayat office on September 1.

"( Instead of providing security) the police detained them until the meeting was dissolved for want of quorum," Congressmen say, "They ( the police) gave the reason that the lives of the members were at risk from the crowd gathered in front of the panchayat office!"

The high court has summoned the district superintendent of police and panchayat officials to explain their action.

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