Just eleven days are over in its five-year term but Kerala’s CPI(M)-led ruling lDF is already a divided house. A battle has erupted between front leader CPI(M) and the CPI, second biggest constituent of the coalition, over the issue of achieving a balance between development initiatives and protection of environment.
Sunday saw this division becoming extremely obvious with Marxist Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan coining a term, ‘environmental fundamentalism’, to refer to activism that allegedly stagnated development in the name of eco-protection and the CPI objecting to the coinage itself, indirectly terming it as a sign of allegiance to the development concept of capitalism.
“My Government’s goal is protection of environment without stunting development. Controls should be imposed on blind, intense and unscientific postures of environmental fundamentalism. These two things are two sides of the same coin,” Pinarayi, known as a neo-liberalist Marxist, said in his World Environment Day message posted on his Facebook page.
Stating that the term environmental fundamentalism itself was wrong, Benoy Viswam, member of the CPI’s central secretariat and former State Forest minister, said in Delhi that any development that led to the disappearance of pure water and pure air was suicidal. “I am certain that Pinarayi can understand such things,” Benoy told newsmen.
Sunday’s spat is being seen as just an extension of the ongoing war between the CPI(M) and the CPI over the Kerala State Electricity Board’s (KSEB) proposal to implement the controversial 163-MW hydro-electric project at Athirappilly in Thrissur district, known for the scenic waterfall there which has become one of the most impressive symbols of Kerala Tourism.
While the CPI(M), like the KSEB, believes that implementation of the hydel project is inevitable for meeting Kerala’s soaring energy demand, the CPI, like the environmentalists, is opposing this pointing out the ecological importance of the Athirappilly waterfalls, the forest region around it and the Chalakudy river across which the dam for the project is to be built.
“There shouldn’t be a situation where the environment is being killed for the sake of development. At the same time, environmentalism shouldn’t be a hindrance to development,” Chief Minister Pinarayi, a CPI(M) Politbureau member heading the party’s neo-liberalist faction who accepts the role of private capital in development, said on Sunday.
Stating that laws should be formulated if need be to solve issues like waste management, unscientific use of water and misuse of energy, the Chief Minister noted in his Facebook message, “laws should be made more stringent over the issue of environmental protection. At the same time, misuse of the issue of environment should be stopped.”
Benoy Viswam, who had steadfastly opposed the CPI(M)’s move to implement several projects that could damage the environment when he was Forest minister, responded to Pinarayi’s suggestions by reminding him of the lDF manifesto. “The Government should pursue a policy that provides protection to man and earth equally as stated in the lDF’s manifesto,” he said.
“The left’s development concept cannot be part of capitalist loot. Marxists can never accept the right-wing concept of development. I am sure that Pinarayi will stand by the leftist development concept,” Benoy added. State CPI(M) secretary Kanam Rajendran had taken a similar stand the other day by saying that development that trampled on man and environment was “dangerous”.
Observers are of the view that the CPI(M), despite its massive strength in the lDF and the Assembly, will find it difficult to get development projects like Athirappilly implemented because of the stiff objections from environmentalists as well as the CPI which holds important portfolios like Forest, Revenue and Agriculture.
“There is a lobby within the CPI(M) which wants to pursue a development policy that is almost akin to that of the just-dethroned Congress-led government but it won’t be easy for them to get over the CPI’s opposition. Almost all the projects favoured by this lobby need permission from departments being ruled by the CPI,” said a CPI(M) leader opposing the neo-liberalists.