O. RajagopalO. Rajagopal says the Left Democratic Front government has turned a government by the CPM for the CPM in the name of the people. The BJP’s first and only MLA in Kerala talks to Onmanorama.
How would you rate the LDF government’s one year in office?
The LDF government is completing a year. They gained votes by promising to set everything in order. The most important of all the promises was to work without bias. That has been violated. A democratic government is supposed to be one by the people and for the people. Here, we have a government by the CPM for the CPM in the name of the people. The government is for the CPM, not the people.
This attitude can be seen in all walks. The CPM wants to eliminate the BJP from Kerala. They have denied us the freedom to work. They are misusing the administrative machinery to oppress us. The police are acting only to protect the CPM workers.
The police remain mute spectators when critics of the government are targeted for attack. Even the Congress wants the BJP finished. So they are silent. The RSS is a national organization. Its works are being hampered here. These are in violation of the oath the ministers have taken.
I am not surprised by the style of functioning of the CPM. You can’t expect anything else from Stalinists.
Are you satisfied with the government's work in development and welfare activities?
Has the government fulfilled any of their promises? The public distribution has ground to a halt. Ration cards have not been distributed. The rice supplied by the central government with subsidy is stored in the Food Corporation of India warehouses. Because the people do not have ration cards.
Deserving people are not given rice. They make a list of party sympathizers. The rest of the people are sidelined. The old-age pension has not been distributed for eight months.
The central government has given the state Rs 18,000 crore more this year. So there is no shortage of money. The money is used on excesses and activities to promote the party. And they blame everything on (Prime Minister) Modi. The chief minister is acting like Stalin. Ministers and officers are in fear of him.
The government claims that there had been no corruption allegation against it. True, there has not been any major corruption allegation. The corruption allegations that happened during the term of the previous government are not heard of anymore. If there is no financial corruption, what we have is political corruption.
The government is not taking any action to stop the encroachment of land. Their actions are helping the encroachers. The Tata company has encroached on vast swathes of land. There has not been any action to reclaim that land. There are lakhs of people without an inch of land, especially Sheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes. The LDF promised to give them land and bring encroachers before the law. But what is happening in reality? Even ministers and MLAs are in possession of encroached land in Munnar.
The CPM is not lagging in religious appeasement. A cross was the major issue amid attempts to clear Munnar of encroachments. Everybody respects religious symbols including the cross. But you can’t encourage encroachment in its name. The first communist government ruled for 28 months. I do not think this government will last that longer.
You are the BJP’s first legislator in Kerala. How do you evaluate your own work in the first year. What are the development activities you could bring about?
I could do many developmental activities in the Nemom constituency. I have to make something clear. I have given recommendations to utilize MLA fund. I have to write to so many people. I had to write only one letter to release funds under the MP fund. Here it is different. I have to go from office to office after I have submitted my project plan.
You have to pursue administrative sanction, financial sanction and what not. You have to go to each office to get the file moving. I have assigned a staff only for this duty. Officials tend to go slow on any matter related to the Nemom constituency.
They will hold up any file related to Nemom. Because they are opposing the BJP without any compromises. They give everything to everyone else.
Shobha Surendran created a stir with her remarks against the governor in the issue related to the politically motivated murders in Kannur. Was she speaking on behalf of the BJP?
The party has not taken such a stand. The party has differences of opinion with the government. We will speak our mind. That is our democratic right. The governor’s job is not to criticize a party. The governor has constitutional rights. We can meet the governor if we have any complaints. We can explain our part. It is not proper to say anything beyond that. The communists are wont to criticize everyone including high court judges. That is not our model.
But can she say that without the backing of any leader in the party?
I do not think that Shobha Surendran said so with the support of any other leader. That may have happened because she was not familiar with the party’s decorum and parliamentary practices. She may have been carried away by the situation.
