The Decline and Fall of Kerala - Just Round the Corner

Can Kerala situation be described as a total breakdown of governance?

The youth activists are on the rampage again. The SFI in Mahatma Gandhi University, and the KSU in Kerala University!

In Mahatma Gandhi University, the victim of their assault was none less than the Vice Chancellor herself. She was coming out of her chamber when these rowdies pushed (!) her violently back into the room ( she didn’t fall, ‘cos the security officer was at hand), back into her seat and then forced her to listen to their grievances - despite her pleas of ill health and promise to discuss the issue the next day.

What a shame! What an utter disgrace?

And this is the second attack on her.

How come these goons get away with it again and again?

Isn't there any one to throw the book at them?

An interesting angle to this story is that the activists were lead by a female student. Yes. Kerala women have achieved gender equality. They have proved that they stand shoulder to shoulder with the males, at least when it comes to indulging in violence.

The Vice Chancellor of Kerala University , who is embroiled in a corruption case regarding the Assistant Grade posting, retired two days back. The matter is subjudice. The verdict is yet to come. Yet, the KSU activists pasted wall posters all over the city of Trivandrum with his photo and the caption "Azhimathi veeran, Lal salaam". This was planned to coincide with the day of his retirement.

Indecent, disgusting behaviour. Are no codes of behaviour applicable to these youth activists? Are they above the law of the land? In the case of the SFI, they can be booked on two counts - manhandling, and wrongful confinement of a person. In the case of KSU, it is a case of defamation - while the matter is still subjudice.

The provisions are there. But who will bell the cat?

They will get away scot free, as they always do. If you belong to the youth/student wing of a political party, you can get away with murder – literally. The arms of law do not seems to be long enough, fast enough and committed enough to catch up with these anti social elements.

And these are the future citizens of Kerala! These anti social elements. They are tomorrow’s promise!

And the universities, where education has taken a backseat, have become the breeding ground for these antisocial creatures.

The leaders of the parties are doing everything in their power to whet the appetite of their youth wings for violence. Or, to be a little more charitable in judgement, is it that they can’t rein in their youth workers? Quite possible, cos the leaders themselves appear to be so rudderless. The rage for power and pelf appears to divorce them from all vestiges of a sense of direction, responsibility, accountability, nobility, decency and integrity.

Today, an all India bandh is declared by left trade unions. The predictions are that Kerala will the state worst hit by it. And it is the 82nd hartal of the year in Kerala!! And with four more months to go before the year ends, Kerala might hit a century and get into all record books.

Somehow I get the feeling that the political parties are vying with each other in having to their credit the highest score in calling for bandhs, disrupting normal life, bringing the state to a standstill, indulging in shameful, barbaric acts of violence and in committing murder. It is similar to the way a country at war has the psychological advantage if the figures of enemies killed are bigger than the enemy's.But here in Kerala, who are the political parties at war with? With the people? if that is true, all the parties should be disqualified, and the state brought under President’s rule.

What a terrible condition for a state to be in!

But, can we, the people of Kerala, be absolved from all blame? I think not. People get the leaders they deserve.

These leaders, perhaps, are a projection of what we are - our alter ego?

I think we Malayalees need to look into our souls to find an answer to what has brought Kerala to this pathetic, shameful condition!