The war in Kerala’s ruling UDF has escalated with front leader Congress raising serious objections to the State Budget presented last Friday by Finance Minister KM Mani, chairman of the Kerala Congress (M), third largest coalition constituent, amid rumours that Mani’s party is preparing to leave the UDF to join hands with the CPI(M)-led Opposition lDF.
Disputes between the two parties have been raging for quite some time but these have now attained the nature of a standoff also because of the frequent “indecent” outbursts against Ministers and senior leaders of the UDF itself by Government Chief Whip PC George, vice-chairman of the Kerala Congress (M), which have put the entire coalition in a difficult situation.
Many MlAs from the Congress party, especially the so-called Green Group of young legislators upholding environmental causes, have declared their decision to confront Mani in the name of the biases in his Budget which has allegedly neglected departments ruled by Congress Ministers and constituencies of Congress legislators.
legislators belonging to the Green Group have said that they would not speak in support of the discussions the Budget scheduled to start in the State Assembly on Monday. They have alleged that Mani’s Budget has made no allocation for conservation of environment and drought-relief measures.
Strains in the relations between the Congress and the Kerala Congress (M) whose nine MlAs have crucial significance for the Government which is surviving on a wafer-thin majority of just three seats in the 140-member Assembly had first appeared a few months ago following rumours about the possibility of its departure for the lDF.
The Congress MlAs are complaining that allocations and proposals in Mani’s Budget have obvious community bias, that it has neglected vital areas and that it has showered favours on certain corporate firms in the name of social welfare schemes. Stiff protests against Budget proposals had come up at a meeting of the Congress Parliamentary Party on Friday itself.
Power and Transports Minister Aryadan Muhammad, known as a staunch loyalist of Defence Minister AK Antony, was the first senior Congress leader to criticise Mani in the name of his Budget for the alleged neglect it showed towards the crisis in the State-run Kerala State Road Transport Corporation and the serious problems in the electricity sector.
“Everybody knows that the Congress’s anger towards Mani is not over the Budget proposals,” said a senior journalist. “Mani had begun to weigh his option - of aligning with the lDF - ever since the Congress refused to make his son Jose Mani MP a Minister in the Union Cabinet in the last reshuffle. This is what is irking the Congress,” he said.
The “indecent” outbursts by Chief Whip PC George against Forest Minister KB Ganesh Kumar of the Kerala Congress (B) and KR Gowri, veteran leader and general secretary of minor coalition partner JSS, presented yet another opportunity for the Congress leaders to intensify their attack against Mani and his party.
The Congress has asked Mani to take stringent action against George who was bringing disrepute to the entire UDF with his indecent remarks against reputed leaders. Also, several Congress MlAs have made it clear to Chief Minister Oommen Chandy that they would not abide by any whip that George issues.
The Kerala Congress chairman reportedly asked George on Sunday to keep a check on his words as pressure mounted on him following attacks from various quarters in the name of the Chief Whip’s unrestrained outbursts.
The JSS on Sunday passed a resolution demanding removal of George from
the post of Government
Chief Whip.