Thiruvananthapuram: Imagine a solitary bearded figure on a rock bang in the middle of a tempestuous sea. At least in theory, the CPM has consistently and with great pride positioned itself as that brave lonely figure unshaken by the vicious waves of neoliberalism attacking him from all sides.
All of a sudden, the Kerala unit of the CPM says that this resolute figure on the rock has no choice but to jump into the sea and swim with the tide. "The CPM-led government cannot implement all the policies of the CPM. Certain things will have to be discussed," Finance Minister K N Balagopal said while replying to the discussion on the Finance Bill in the Assembly on Wednesday.
He was defending the mention of foreign universities in his latest budget. But the ideology-twisting remark came soon after. "This is not a communist government (sic). We have to look at the prevailing general conditions," he said. Balagopal perhaps might have meant 'communist society'.
Both ways, the minister was in effect conceding that the CPM was straying from its Left ideals, though the confession was couched in a language of helplessness. "In this neoliberal world, even the CPM has to surrender to the demands of a free market," seems to be the new mantra of the party.
When in Rome
It was the CPM state secretary M V Govindan who first spoke about the necessity of flowing with the tide when asked about foreign universities. He said it was "Indian policy".
"It's not possible for the LDF government to implement CPM's policies as such. This is not a socialist country or a land where a democratic revolution had taken place. This is a typical capitalist society where corporates have the upper hand. India has a system where governance goes hand in hand with feudal and capitalist forces. Kerala is also part of it. We cannot be under the illusion that Kerala stands out from the rest of India. This being the situation what else can we do," Govindan said.
Thus, by separating the party from the government as demonstrated for him by his party boss, the finance minister defended the government's decision to examine the possibilities of throwing open Kerala's education sector to foreign universities.
But Balagopal went a step ahead, threw all ideological pretensions aside, and said it was high time the party changed. "We have to realise the passing of time and adapt accordingly," Balagopal said.
Give Marx some rest
Curiously, the change happened too quickly. Barely two-and-a-half months ago in December when the UGC notified regulations for foreign universities in India, here is what the CPM politburo said. "The politburo of the CPM strongly opposes the move of the UGC to facilitate foreign universities and educational institutions to set up campuses in India allowing them autonomy in determining the fees and recruitment of teachers after a 90-day approval process. This will lead to creating enclaves of high-fee elitist institutions which will further destroy the structure of higher education in the country."
The finance minister, a CPM Central Committee member, hinted that the government had more to ponder than just Marxist theory. "More than 13 lakh students in India apply to study in foreign universities. Figures say that effectively 7 lakh have already left. of this, 4% are from Kerala. At least 30,000 of them are travelling abroad every year. And more than 40,000 are migrating to other states for higher study," the minister.
The fallout of student migration
He said this was a drain on Kerala's finances. "When 30,000 students fly out, at least Rs 10,000 crore will leak out of Kerala annually. Each student spends Rs 30 lakh and above to fly outside. The money that would have been invested in Kerala should remain here," Balagopal said.
Further, he said Kerala invests at least Rs 25 lakh per student to educate her up to post-graduation. "It (the migrant student) is a fully-developed product that we are handing over to a foreign country caught in the grip of low population," he said. Besides, the geriatric population is on the rise. "Children are leaving but the aged are left behind," he said.
Balagopal said the solution was to create more jobs for the youth in Kerala. "If good high-paying jobs exist, students will remain," he said.
Request to CM
Earlier, during his turn, Opposition Leader V D Satheesan had this to ask Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. "It was when you were party secretary that the Oommen Chandy government decided to conduct a study on private universities. Then, an SFI worker young enough to be his grandson had slapped the Higher Education Council vice chairman and former Indian Ambassador to the US T P Sreenivasan. His only crime was that he wanted a discussion on foreign universities. So before you allow private and foreign universities into Kerala, you should go and apologise to T P Sreenivasan," he said.
Neither the Chief Minister nor the finance minister gave any hint of having heard the Opposition Leader.
