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CHAPTER I11
KERALA POLITICS: POWER GAMES, CORRUPTION AND COMMUNALISM
Ehnergence of Popular Governments in Travancore and Travancore-Cochin
The demands made by the people of Travancore for the
establishment of popular governments were realised in
1948. The Royal proclamation issued on 4 September 1947
was a landmark in the formation of popular government in
Travancore. In a Royal proclamation issued on 4 September
1947, the Maharaja declared the formation of a Constituent
Assembly on the basis of universal adult franchise. I
Accordingly elections were held in 120 constituencies from
2 February to 16 February 1948. The election results were t
as follows.
Election 1948
Party Seats
Congress
Tamil Nadu Congress
Muslim League
Independent
Source: Manorama Year Book 1994 (M), p. 205.
1. Manorama Year Book 1994 (M) (Kottayarn, 19941, p. 205.
The first session of the Constituent Assembly was
held on 20 March 1948. A. J. John was elected the
President of the ~ssembly .2 Though the Assembly started
functioning as a Constituent Assembly soon it was
transformed into a Legislative Assembly. The members of
the Constituent Assembly requested the Maharaja to declare
it as a Legislative Assembly. On the basis of the request
of the popular leaders, the Maharaja, through a Royal
decree, declared the Assembly as a ~egislative Assembly on
24 March 1948 . 3 Subsequently the Assembly decided to form
an interim government for Travancore. After reserving
certain departments the Maharaja handed over other
departments to the interim government.4 On 24 March 1948,
Pattom Thanu Pillai was sworn in as the first Chief
Minister of TraVanctore. A three member Cabinet consisting
of Pattom Thanu Pillai as Chief Minister and C. Kesavan
and T. M. Varqhese as ministers was sworn in on 24 March
1948 in the presence of the Maharaja at the Palace of
Kaudiyar. 5
The formation of Travancore Constituent Assembly was
remarkable in many respects. It sounded the deathknell of
2. Ibid.
3. R. Prakasam, C. Kesavan (M) (Trivandrum, 1990), p. 230.
4. Manorama Year Book, n. 1, p . 205-
5. R. Prakasam, n. 3, p. 230.
monarchy and the birth of democracy. Travancore got the
credit of conducting elections on the basis of universal
adult suffrage for the first time in an Indian state.
The election of the Constituent Assembly on the basis of
adult suffrage was the first of its kind in any Indian
state. 6
Fall of Pattorn Ministry
The first ministry failed to function effectively.
Lack of unity in the ministry, personality cult and
con~munal discord were responsible for its fall. The
Ministry which consisted of the trinity of the state
Congress could not function effectively for long .' Pattom-
Thanu Pillai began to show his autocratic nature. - ~nfortun'atel~, Pattom Thanu Pillai also began to take
policy decisions without consulting his Cabinet colleagues
C. Kesavan and T. M. ~ a r ~ h e s e . ~ This led to internal
dissensions in the Cabinet. But C. Kesavan and
T. M. Varghese did not resign from the ministry. They
(Varghese and Kesavan) did not quit the Cabinet and kept
the prestige of the Cabinet. It is a strange paradox
6. Ibid.
7. Perunna K. N. Nair, Keralathile Congress Prasthanam (M) (Cochin, 19851, p. 336.
8. R. Prakasam, n. 2, p. 231.
9. Ibid.
that C. Kesavan the champion of individual freedom
submitted himself to the autocratic nature of Pattom. 10
Dissensions in the ministry slowly came into the ranks of
the party. The All Travancore State Congress Committee
meeting held on 9 October 1948 decided to merge the state
Congress with Indian National Congress and to function as
Travancore District Congress Committee under the Kerala
PCC. It also passed a resolution demanding the
resignation of the ministry.'' But Pattom Thanu Pillai did
not resign. It was an open defiance of party discipline.
Pattom Thanu Pillai was not a leader having much of a
party discipline. 12
Communalism also played its own role in causing-
instability to the first ministry. There was a well
organised campaign against T. M. Varghese from certain
quarters. There was no other leader in Travancore who was
as misunderstood as T. M. Varghese. He was pictured as
communalist and cunning.13 But Kerala did not have a
political leader like Varghese who was the embodiment of
14 innocence, sincerity and love.
10. Ibid.
11. Perunna K. N. Nair, n. 7, p. 336.
12. R. Prakasam, n. 3, p. 244.
13. C. Narayana Pillai, Thiruvathamcore Swathantriya Samara Charithrarn (M) (Trivandrum, 1972), p. 969.
14. Ibid.
Since Pattom defied the party order the Congress
Committee had d~cided to summon a m~,eting of the
legislature party and to present a vote of no-confidence
in the legislature. Under these circumstances Pattom
resigned. Pattom resigned on 17 October 1949. 15
After the resignation of Pattom Thanu Pillai, Parur
T. K. Narayan Pillai was elected the leader of the
Congress Legislature Party. Under his leadership the new
Cabinet consisting of A. J. John, K. R. Elankath,
V. 0. Markose, N. Kunjuraman and E. K. Madhavan were sworn
in on 22 October 1948. 16 R. V. Thomas was elected as the
Speaker. l7 Pattom Thanu Pillai and his followers left the
Congress and formed the Democratic Socialist Party.
In December 1948, the Travancore State Congress merged
with the Indian Nabional Congress. A Travancore District
Congress Committee was formed under the Presidentship of
C. Kesavan.
As Chief Minister Parur T. K. Narayana Pillai tried
his best to ensure communal cooperation. He tried to
secure the cooperation and support of Nair and Ezhava
communities. For that on the advice of K. N. Sankunny
15. Manorama Year Book, n. 1, p. 205. - 16. Ibid.
17. Perunna K. N. Nair, n. 7, p. 338.
Pillai, a member of the Legislative Assembly, he (Chief
Minister) appointed Mannath Padbhanabhan and R. Sankar to
the Devaswom Board. l8 But this did not yield any positive
results. They began to state that the government was
acting as if it was the government of the Christians.
With their inborn eloquence they pictured the government
as a Christian government. They organised the Hindus by
utilising their position as Devaswom Board members. Thus
they were able to evoke communal feelings in the state.
Thus factionalism on the basis of community began to show
its vicious effects on Travancore politics.
Integration of Travancore and Cochin
The Inteqration of Travancore-Cochin states took t
place on 1 July 1949, under the leadership of Sardar
Vallabhabai Pate1 and V. P. Menon. Several princely
states were integrated to India at that time. After the
Travancore Cochin integration on 1 July 1949, the joint
session of the Travancore and Cochin Legislative
Assemblies were held and Parur T. K. Narayana Pillai was
unanimously elected leader of the Congress Legislature
18. R. Prakasam, n. 3, p. 246.
19. Ibid.
Party. 20 The First Travancore Cochin Cabinet was formed
under the leadership Parur T. K. Narayana Pillai. E. John
~hilipose, N. Kunjiraman, Anne Mascrene, E. K. Madhavan,
Ikkanda Warrier, K. Ayyappan, panampilly Govinda Menon and
T. A. Abudlla were the other ministers. 21 After some time
E. K. Madhavan and Ikkanda Warrier resigned from the
Cabinet. Subsequently, T. A. Abdulla, Anne Mascrine and
K. Ayyappan also resigned. Anne Mascrene did also raise
certain allegations against John Philipose. In the
Cabinet meeting certain ministers demanded the resignation
of John Philipose. Since the Cabinet could not arrive at
a unanimous opinion, it resigned on 24 February 1951.
After the resignation of T. K. Narayana Pillai Ministry,
C. Kesavan was elected the leader of the Congress
Legislature Party on*28 February 1951. 2 2
As the leader of the Legislature Party C. Kesavan
tried his best to solve internal dissensions in his party.
He tried to reinforce unity in the party through
the Cabinet formation. C. Kesavan decided to appoint
T. K. Narayana Pillai, A. J. John and Panampilly Govinda
Menon, the ablest among the legislators for his Cabinet.
20. Perunna K. N. Nair, n. 7 , p. 340.
21. Manorama Year Book, n. 1, p. 205.
22. Perunna K. N. air, n. 7 , p. 341.
But C. Kesavan's aspiration was not fulfilled. A. J. John
and T. K. Narayana Pillai opposed the appointment of
Panampilly Govinda Menon into the cabinet. Panampilly
also could not think about the appointment of A. J. John
and Narayana Pillai in the Cabinet. 23 In this political
game C. Kesavan had to accept one of the two alternatives,
either to accept A. J. John and Narayana Pillai and to
reject Panampilly 'or to reject A. J. John and Narayana
Pillai and to accept Panampilly. He decided to accept
A. J. John and T. K. Narayana Pillai. Accordingly he
included A. J. John and T. K. Narayana Pillai in his
Cabinet. The exclusion of Panampilly caused the beginning
of a new type of faction fight in state politics viz.,
faction fight on the basis of region. The MLAs of Cochin
region ralliedagainst C. Kesavan. He declared that he
would appoint any MLA from Cochin to his Cabinet except
Panampilly. The MLAs of Cochin refused to join the
Cabinet and they requested the Congress High Command to
interfere in the issue. 2 4 The Chief Minister insisted on
his stand and the High Command did not interfere in the
issue. Subsequently, the 18 MLAs from Cochin region
23. R . Prakasam, n. 3 , p. 262.
24. Ibid., p. 263.
decided to vote against the government. But the
Democratic Party under the leadership of Mannath
Padbhanabhan and R. Sankar supported the government. The
dissidents from the Cochin region subsequently abandoned
their demand for the appointment of Panampilly to the
Cabinet and asked the Chief Minister to appoint anyone
from Cochin region and they stood for the removal of
A. J. John and T. K. Narayana Pillai from the Cabinet. 25
The Congress leaders felt that unity in the party as an
imperative need of the time. To reinforce unity in the
party a compromise was arrived at whereby A. J. John and
T. K. Narayan Pillai resigned from the Cabinet. In the
Cabinet reshuffle Kuttikrishna Menon and L. M. Pylee from
Cochin and K. M. Korah and G. Chandrasekara ~illai from
Travancore region we%e appointed ministers.
General Election of 1951-52
The first general elections in India on the basis of
universal adult franchise were held at the beginning of
1952. Accordingly elections were held in Travancore-
Cochin from 10 December 1951 to 5 January 1952. 26
25. Ibid., p. 266.
26. Manorama Year Book, n. 1, P. 206.
Elections were held in 108 Assembly seats and 12 Lok Sabha
seats. Election results were as follows.
Election 1951-52
Party Seats
Congress
Socialists
Independents
Source: Manorama Year Book 1994 (M), p. 206
Among the independents 25 belonged to the Communist
Party, 6 to the RSP, 8 to the Tamil Nadu Congress, 1 to
the KSP and 1 to the-Cochin Party.
With the support of the Tamil Nadu Congress and some
independents A. J. John formed a Cabinet. In the election
of Congress Legislature Party A. J. John defeated
Panampilly Govinda Menon by a margin of two votes. 2 7
Under the leadership of A. J. John the new Cabinet was
sworn in on 12 March 1952. In this Cabinet A . J. John
included Panampilly ~ovinda Menon, T. M. Varghese,
Kalathil Velayudan air, V. Madhavan and K. Kochukuttan.
27. Perunna K. N. Nair, n. 7, p. 343.
He also included A.Chithambaranath Nadar, a representative
of the Tamil Nadu Congress in his Cabinet. 2 8
The A. J. John Ministry also did not last long.
Linguistic factionalism caused the premature fall of the
John Ministry. The Travancore Tamil Nadu Congress began
to demand the merger of southern Travancore to Madras.
The basis of their demand was that the majority of people
of southern Travancore speak Tamil language. As a prelude
to this reorganisation they demanded the formation of a
Congress Committee for southern Travancore under Kerala
PCC. *' But the then Travancore-Cochin Congress did not
accept it. The Travancore Tamil Nadu Congress withdrew
the support from the government and Chithambaranath Nadar
resigned from the Cabinet. When the vote of confidence *
motion introduced by the government in the legislature was
defeated the Assembly was dissolved. The Ministry
continued as a caretaker government. 3 0
Election of 1954
Elections were held in the 118 Assembly seats in
February 1954. The election fight was mainly between
United Front supported by the PSP and the Congress.
28. Ibid.
29. Ibid., p. 344.
30. Ibid.
The United Front consisted of the Communist Party, the RSP
and the KSP. The election results were as follows.
Election 1954
Party Seats
Congress 4 5
Communists 2 3
PSP 1 9
Tamil Nadu Congress
RSP
KSP 3
Independents 6
Anglo-Indian 1
Source: Manorama Year Book 1 9 9 4 (M), p. 206.
Though the Congress was the single largest party it
did not have majority to form the government. The PSP
refused to continue the election understanding with the
United Front in the legislature. In this situation the
Congress gave its support to the PSP to form the
government. 31 Thus the PSP, a minority party in the
legislature, formed the Cabinet under the leadership of
Pattom Thanu Pillai on 16 March 1 9 5 4 . 3 2 A. Achuthan,
31. Manorama Year Book, n. 1, p. 206.
32. Perunna K. N. Nair, n. 7, p. 3 4 5 .
P. S. Nadaraja Pillai and P. K. Kunju were his Cabinet
colleagues.
The functioning of this government was also not
smooth. The ministry had to face opposition from the
Communists as well as from the Travancore Tamil Nadu
Congress. The Tamil Nadu Congress raised their earlier
demand for the merger of southern Travancore with Madras.
They started agitations against the government and that
led to police firing near Marthaandam which claimed 7
lives. The Congress withdrew its support from the
government following certain humiliating remarks of the
Chief Minister about Congress. A no-confidence motion was
passed in December 1954 and the PSP government resigned.
The personal rift between the PSP and Congress leaders and
ideological differences caused the fall of the ministry. 3 3
After the fall of the Pattom Ministry, Panampilly
Govinda Menon, the leader of the Congress Legislature
Party formed a Cabinet with the support of Tamil Nadu
Congress and two PSP members who resigned . from the PSP. A. J. John, A. A. Rahim, K. Kochukuttan and
K. I. Velayudhan were the other ministers. 3 4 This
government also could not complete its tenure. Certain
33. EMS Namhoodiripad, Kerala Charithram: Marxist Vikshanathil (M) (Trivandrum, 1990), p. 346.
34. Perunna K. N. Nair, n. 7, p. 348
vested interests began to work against the ministry. The
new government had to face challenges from both the Tamil
Nadu Congress and the Congress. 3 5 Two reasons prompted
the reactionaries to work against the ministry. One was
that the government did not yield to the demands of
certain vested interests including the NSS. The other
was that in the Travancore-Cochin Congress Committee
presidential election Chief Minister Panampilly Govinda
Menon supported A. P. Udhayabhanu against the Congress
veteran Kumbalath Sanku Pillai. 36 With the support of
6 Congress MLAs the Tamil Nadu Congress introduced a
no-confidence motion. It was passed on 12 March 1956 and
the ministry resigned.
Gandhi's Views'on Politics
For me there is no politics without religion--not the religion of the superstitious and the blind, religion that hates and fights, but the universal religion of toleration. Politics without morality is a thing to be avoided.[37]
For me politics bereft of religion are absolute dirt, ever to be shunned. Politics concern nations and that which concerns the welfare of nations must be one of the concerns of a man who is religiously inclined, in other words a seeker after God and Truth. Therefore, in politics also we have to establish the Kingdom of Heaven.[38]
35. Ibid., p. 347.
36. Ibid., p. 348.
37. M. K. Gandhi, "Young India", 27 November 1924, p. 391.
38. M. K. Gandhi, "Young ~ndia", 18 June 1925, p. 214
I do not divide life into watertight compartments. The life of a nation like that of individuals is an indivisible whole.[391
Formation of Kerala State
Under the State Reorganisation Act of 1956, the
Travancore-Cochin State and Malabar were united to form
the state of Kerala on 1 November 1956. Some territorial
adjustments had necessarily to be made on reorganisation.
In this adjustment Kerala lost to Madras the taluks of
Thovala, Agasteeswaram, Kalkulam and Vilavancode in the
far south and Shencotta in the east, while it gained the
Malabar district and the Kasargod taluk of South Canara
district in the north.
Kerala State Legislative Assembly Election 1957
Party Seats - -
Congress
Communist Party
PSP
Muslim League
Independents (Communists)
Independent - - - - --
Source: Manorama Year Book 1994 (M), p. 207.
39. M. K. Gandhi, "Harijan", 29 February 1937, p. 13.
Elections to the Legislative Assembly of the
reorganised state of Kerala were held on 28 February 1957
and on 11 March 1957. On 5 April 1957 EMS Namboodiripad,
the leader of the Communist Party sworn in as the
Chief Minister of Kerala. The Cabinet members were
T. V. Thomas, C. Achutha Menon, K. C. George, Joseph
Mundassery, A. R. Menon, K. P. Gopalan, V. R. Krishna
Iyer, T. A. Majeed, P. K. Chathan and K. R. Gouri.
The first EMS Ministry remained in power for twenty
eight months. The removal of the first elected Communist
Government of Kerala was caused by the ~iberation
Struggle. The genesis of the Liberation Struggle may be
traced back to the very day the Communists assumed power
in the state; ' It-may be rightly said that the seeds of
this historic agitation which ultimately proved fatal to
the Communists were sown by the Communist Government
itself. The rash and often ill digested policy
declarations of the ministers and party leaders and the
unconscionable haste with which the government attempted
to make use of its power to strengthen the Communist Party
and further party interests jolted the conservative
sections of the people and accelarated the pace of the
Liberation Struggle. 4 0
40. Cyriac Thomas, "The Church and Politics in Kerala 1947-72", Unpublished Doctoral Thesis, University of Kerala, Trivandrum, 1977, p. 125.
During the tenure of the Communist Government several
allegations were raised a g a i n s t the government and the
ministers. The Kerala ~ducational ill and the Kerala
~ g r a r i a n Relations Bill were subject to severe criticism
from different quarters. The Educational Bill paved the
way t o t h e L i b e r a t i o n Struggle which took place in the
June-July months of 1959. I t was t h e connecting l i n k
between the religious leaders and the leaders of different
communities. The Agrarian Relations sill a l r e a d y wounded
the landlords. 41 The Christian a n d Nair communities are
considered to possess the maximum of vested interests in
Kerala. Members of these t w o communities constitute
almost 90 per cent of the land owning class. It all
s t a r t ed w i t h the Nairs as the landlords and the Christians
as t h e ,tenants. In due course the Christians by t h e i r
incomparable a p t i t u d e for hardwork and unflinching
attachment to the soil acquired e n o u g h landed properties
by the sweat of their brow and managed t o establish
themselves a s a p a r t of the landed Aristocracy. The
Christian community also retains a special vested interest
in the sphere of education. The Christians consider
educational institutions almost as sacred as their places
of worship and had always taken care to establish a school
1 Cherian P h i l i p , Kaal Noothandu (M) (Kottayam, 1984), p . 5 4 .
next to almost every church. The church and the school
are so closely intertwined that t h e school i s called
'pallikkoodam' s i g n i f y i n g its r e l a t i o n t o 'palli' o r
church. Usually e v e r y school owned by the Christians is
managed by either the parish or the ish hop. The attempted
reforms of the Communist government in the s p h e r e of
education naturally upset the Christians and the land
reforms proposed by the Government p r o v o k e d the Nair
community. 4 2
Meanwhile the government had decided to purchase rice
from A n d r a Pradesh. T. 0 . Bhava , t h e t h e n Congress MLA
raised allegations of corruption against the government
in the r i c e deal. The government appointed Justice
P . T . Raman Nair t~ enquire into the deal. The enquiry
r e p o r t stated t h a t in the purchase of 5,000 t o n n e s of rice
the government had lost Rs. 1 . 5 lakhs. 4 3 Allegations were
also raised against the interference of party leaders in
the functioning of c i v i l service and j u d i c i a r y . T h e
ruling p a r t y i n t e r f e r e d in the functioning of judiciary
and civil s e r v i c e . 44 Police firing and l a t h i c h a r g e
intensified t h e emotions of the p e o p l e a g a i n s t the
4 2 . C y r i a c Thomas, n. 40 , p . 1 2 6 .
4 3 . Cherian Philip, n. 41, p . 60 .
4 4 . Perunna K. N. Nair, n . 7, p. 3 8 2 .
government. The struggle got leadership and funds from
the notables of the air and Christian communitie-s.
Special mention pay be made a b o u t t h e a b l e leadership of
Mannath Padbhanabhan in this regard. ~iberation Struggle
was started against the gove rnmen t u n d e r t h e l eade r sh ip of
Mannath Padbhanabhan. 4 5
According to the Communist leaders the ~iberation
Struggle was a conscious invention of the Congress leaders
both at the centre and in the state to oust the Communist
Government. The centre leadership of the Congress,
however, did not hide its displeasure at what happened i n
Kerala. Hardly had the new government been sworn in when
the General Secretary of the Congress, Sriman Narayan
discovered a sense of insecurity among the people of
Kerala. The formation of the new government it was
suggested, he ra lded a situation of serious danger to the
person and property of peace l o v i n g and law abiding
people. This line laid down by their all India l eade r was
f u r t h e r elaborated by the Congress leaders of Kerala who
unleashed a vicious campaign of lies and slanders. 46
The Congress, the PSP, the Muslim League and even the
smaller par , t i e s which were not represented i n the
4 5 . Malayala Manorama, n. 1, p . 2 0 7 .
4 6 . EMS Naatboodiripad, Kerala: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow (Calcutta, 1 9 6 7 ) , p. 222.
legislature thought it necessary to join their forces on a
firm anti-Communist united front. This anti-government
unity i n s i d e the legislature was supplemented by a unity
outside not only among these parties as parties but in the
columns of the newspapers. The majority of the newspapers
in the language numbering over 30, switched on to a policy
of distortions and l i e s i n t e n d e d t o defame and discredit
t h e ministry as a whole, as well as the ministers
individually. 47 For the removal of Communist Government
the central a n d the state l e a d e r s h i p of Congress adopted
extra constitutional methods. A comprehensive direct
action policy was framed by the President of the KPCC and
t h e representatives of the Congress High Command. 4 8
The ~ i b e r a t i o ~ Struggle started on 12 June 1 9 5 9 .
Har t a l s were organised throughout Kerala on that day. The
government decided to s u p r e s s t h e struggle by an i r o n
h a n d . Lathicharge a n d police firing took place in several
places. Severa l people lost their l i v e s in the police
firings at Anyamali, Vettukad, Pulluvila and Cheriathura.
In the Liberation Struggle 15 people lost their lives by
police firing. 4 9 In these circumstances majority of
- - - - -
4 7 . Ibid., p . 223.
48. EMS Namboodiripad, n. 33, p. 360.
4 9 . C h e r i a n philip, n . 4 1 , p . 7 6 .
muncipalities and panchayats, all t r a d e unions except
Communist trade unions, Bar ~ssociations and the Kerala
Bar Association passed resolutions demanding t h e
resignation of t h e government. The Congress party was
compelled t o take note of t h e changing situation in
Kerala. T h e KPCC w h i c h hitherto kept its own counsel, now
approached the centre leadership for g u i d a n c e . I n the
f i r s t week of May Congress president Indira Gandhi made a
f l y i n g visit t o the state t o make an o n the spo t s t u d y of
the situation. Indira Gandhi was shrewd enough to see the
political harvest the Congress could reap. She openly
supported the demands of t h e p r i v a t e school managers a n d
upheld the r i g h t of the people t o resist a law if it was
against the w i . l , l ofi the people. 5 0 O u t of t h e 30 daily
newspapers 26 directly supported the Liberation Struggle
a n d demanded the resignation of the government. After
making a tour of the struggle torn state K. M. Munshi,
famous c o n s t i t u t i o n a l expert and a former Governor of
Uttar Pradesh suggested the declaration of Emergency in
the s o u t h e r n most s t a t e of the Republic. He f u r t h e r
appealed, to the President to dismiss the government and
dissolve the legislature. In a press statement Congress
P re s iden t I n d i r a G a n d h i characterised the Liberation
Struggle as a just, l o g i c a l a n d constitutional a g i t a t i o n .
SO. Cyriac Thomas, n . 4 0 , p . 137.
T h e former Chief Minister of the State, panampilly ~ o v i n d a
Menon published an open letter t o t h e G o v e r n o r i n w h i c h
h e alleged that Jallian Wallabagh was being repeated
at Angamali. Close on t h e heels of t h e visit of
U. N. Dhebar, a former P r e s i d e n t of t h e Congress and Sad iq
Ali, the General Secre t a ry of the P a r t y , came t h e
announcement regarding the visit of Prime Minister Nehru
to the State. On the eve of Nehru's v i s i t the p o l i t i c a l
atmosphere in Kerala was electrified with tension, since
the Prime Minister was obviously making t h e t r i p to the
S o u t h for an on the spot study. 51 The Prime Minister on
his arrival realising t h e gravity of the situation and the
depth of t h e crisis advised C h i e f M i n i s t e r Namboodir ipad
t o seek a fresh' man.-date from t h e people . But the Chief
Minister rejected the Prime Minister's advice. 'The Hindu'
well-known for its, sober stand on matters political
advised the Communist g o v e r n m e n t to think twice before
rejecting t h e Prime Ministers a d v i c e . 5 2
I n these circumstances the central government
requested the state Governor to present a report about t h e
l a w and order situation in Kerala. The Governor reported
that there was a failure of constitutional machinery a n d
- - - - -- -
51. I b i d . , p . 144.
52 . Ibid., p . 1 4 6 .
serious law and order problems persist in the state and
favoured the dismissal of the s t a t e government. On the
basis of the report of the state Governor and according to
the Provisions of ~ r t i c l e 356 of t h e Indian Constitution,
the President of India dismissed the Kerala Government. 53
Whether the techniques used in the ~ i b e r a t i o n
S t r u g g l e had a n y resemblance of the Gandhian technique of
satyagraha is a debatable question. An analysis of the
Gandhian concept of satyagraha in the context of the
L i b e r a t i o n Struggle may b r i n g the truth. Satyagraha w a s
an important weapon at the h a n d s of Gandhi t o fight evils.
'Satya' means truth and 'agraha' means sticking on or
insisting on truth. Satya is truth, which equals love and
agraha, is firmness or force; satyagraha therefore means
t r u t h force or love force. 54 The Gandhian technique of
satyagraha may assume different forms. These are hartal,
non-cooperation, fasting, civil disobedience, boycotti
picketing and hijrat. To Gandhi satyagraha should serve
three purposes. It should purify the sufferer, it should
intensify favourable public opinion, and it should make an
appeal to the soul of the opponent. Satyagraha is t h e
53. Cherian Philip, n. 41, p. 85.
54. I. Sundaram, Gandhian Thouqht and Philosophy (New D e l h i , 1 9 7 9 ) , 9 . 2 6 .
vindication of truth not by infliction of suffering on the
opponent but on one's self. If words f a i l t o c o n v i n c e the
adversary perhaps purity, humility and h o n e s t y will. The
opponent must be weaned from error by patience a n d
s y m p a t h y weaned n o t c r u s h e d , converted not annihilated. 55
T h e word s a t y a g r a h a i s o f t e n most l o o s e l y u s e d and is made
t o cover veiled violence.
But as the author of t h e word I may be a l l o w e d to s a y that it excludes every form of violence, v e i l e d or u n v e i l e d and w h e t h e r in thought word or deed . It is a breach of'satyagraha t o w i s h ill t o an opponent or to say a h a r s h word t o him or of him with the intention of harming him. Satyagraha is gentle, it never wounds. It must not be t h e result of a n g e r o r m a l i c e . I t i s never fussy, never i m p a t i e n t , never v o c i f e r o u s . I t i s the direct o p p o s i t e of compulsion. I t was conceived as a complete substitute f o r violence.[56]
.L
Gandhi used these techniques of satyagraha i n South Africa
and i n B r i t i s h I n d i a where t h e r e were n o c o n s t i t u t i o n a l
means to correct the evils of administration. Gandhi did
n o t accept t h e a p p l i c a t i o n of a l l the above techniques of
satyagraha in a representative democracy such as o u r s
where people enjoy the right to remove a government
if it is inefficient, corrupt or tyranical, resort to
satyagraha is in principle illegitimate and r e d u n d a n t .
56 . M . K . G a n d h i , I n d i a of My Dreams (Ahamedabad, 1 9 4 7 ) , p . 8 3 .
In September 1947 Gandhi said:
In a democracy the individual will was governed and limited by the social w i l l which w a s t h e state, which was governed by and for democracy. If every individual took the law into own h a n d s there w a s no state, it became a n a r c h y . T h a t way l a y d e s t r u c t i o n of l i b e r t y , therefore they s h o u l d subdue t h e i r a n g e r and l e t t h e state secure justice.[57]
Indiscriminate resistance to a u t h o r i t y must lead t o
lawlessness and unbridled licence and consequent self
destruction. 5 8 According to Gandhi tolerance is the true
spirit of democracy. There must be no impatience, no
barbarity, no insolence, no under pressure. If we want to
cultivate a true spirit of democracy, we cannot a f f o r d to
be i n t o l e r a n t , . Intolerance betrays w a n t of faith in one's
cause. 59
That was why Jawaharlal Nehru the then Prime *
Minister of India could not favour the demand of the KPCC
l e a d e r s f o r ~iberation Struggle. When the state Congress
executive decided to take up the l e a d e r s h i p of t h e
a g i t a t i o n against the government, a deputation consisting
of R. Sankar, P. T. Chacko and Panampilly Govinda Menon
was authorised to meet Prime Minister Jawaharlal N e h r u to
seek his concurrance in the matter. They met the Prime
~ i n i s t e r at Oottaccamund and on their return to the state
announced that the Congress was joining the fray. It may
5 7 . I. Sundaram, n . 5 4 , p . 27 .
58. M. K. andh hi, n. 56, p. 8 6 .
59 . Ibid.
be mentioned that the Prime Minister was not well disposed
towards t h e agitation and was believed to have had some
mental reservations about the propriety of conducting the
agitation to oust a duly elected government. 60 N e h r u
spoke a n g r i l y t o t h e Congress leaders of Kerala who
demanded the dismissal of Kerala government. If I (Nehru)
accept this undemocratic policy what would be the reaction
of the world about me, Nehru asked the KPCC leaders. 61
An analysis of the ~iberation Struggle will compel one to
concede that the two dominant communities (Christian and
Nair) f o r g e d a u n i t e d front against the Communists not
because of their theoretical or dogmatic opposition to
Marxism but more because of the practical difficulties to
which these two communities were subjected under the
Communist regime.' The Nairs had been rather frank in
admitting this whereas the Christians had shown their
preference to fight the Communists in the g a r b of
doctrinaire opposition to Marxism. The attempt of the
government to make encroachments i n t h e sphere of
education scared the Christians in two ways. On the one
hand, they were a f r a i d t h a t their material vested
interests would be affected and on the other that their
younger g e n z r a t i o n might be brain washed by the Reds. 6 2
60. C y r i a c Thomas, n. 40, p. 141.
61. Cherian Philip, n. 41, p . 80 .
6 2 . Cyriac Thomas, n. 40, p . 1 2 9 .
S i n c e it is clear that the struggle was waged for t h e
realisation of selfish purposes it cannot be s a i d to be
Gandhian because Gandhism stands f o r total purity of means
and ends.
Birth of Coalition politics in Kerala
The first EMS Ministry was dismissed on 31 J u l y 1 9 5 9 .
New elections were h e l d to the State ~egislative Assembly
on 1 February 1960. In this prestigious poll the United
Front of Democratic p a r t i e s had a landslide v i c t o r y .
Though t h e strength of the Communist Party was r educed in
the legislature, the Communist P a r t y remained s t i l l
powerful outside. T h e 1960 election results of the
Legislative Assembly of Kerala were a s follows. *
Kerala State Legislative Assembly Election 1960
party Seats
Congress
Communist Part.y
PSP
Muslim League
Independents
- -
Source: Manouama Year Book 1994 (M), p . 207.
On 22 February 1 9 6 0 under the leadership of Pattom
Thanu P i l l a i of the PSP, a Congress PSP coalition
government was formed R. Sankar of the Congress party was
the deputy C h i e f Minister. Though the Muslim League was an
election ally, the p a r t y was persuaded to remain outside
the government. K. A. Damodara Menon, P. T. Chacko,
P. P. Ummer Koya, K. T. Achuthan, E. P. Poulose,
K. Kunjambu, V. K. Velappan, D. Damodaran p o t t i and
K. Chandrasekaran were the ministers. Seethi Sahib , t h e
representat ive of the Muslim League was elected Speaker of
t h e Assembly. The Muslim League was persuaded to remain
outside the government in order to avoid a n y p o s s i b l e
embarrassment f o r the Congress in other parts of t h e
country. M u s l i m League agreed t o be a p a r t n e r of t h e
coalition with no share in the government.
The relationship among the coalition partners were
not cordial. The g r a n d coalition of 1 9 6 0 was basically
anti-communist, a n d it did not c o n s i s t o f ' p a r t i e s having
s i m i l a r o u t l o o k or ideology. It had o n l y the limited
objective of keeping the Communists at bay from the
threshold of power. Apart from preventing the Communists
from capturing power in the elections of 1960, the
coalition could not even sustain the anti-Communist tempo
g e n e r a t e d by t h e ~iberation S t r u g g l e . 6 3 The real t e s t of - - - -
6 3 . N . Jose C h a n d e r (ed.), D y n a m i c s of State Politics in Kerala (New D e l h i , 1 9 8 6 ) , p. 38.
t h e r e l a t i o n s h i p between the Congress and ~ u s l i r n League
came at t h e demise of the Speaker Seethi Sahib. When the
Muslim League insisted that another leaguer should be t h e
n e x t speaker the Congress hesitated to consider the
demand. Congress was prepared to support a leaguer
provided he resigned from the p a r t y and filed his
nomination as an independent. The League determined to
retain the political respectability it had won in Kerala
for the first time after the parition of the country
swallowed another bitter pill. 64 Though the League
candidate Mohammed Koya resigned from the party and
contested the elections as an i n d e p e n d e n t the League c o u l d
never forget the humiliation. Subsequently, the League
withdrew from the coalition and fought the parliamentary
election in 1 9 6 2 w l t h a v e n g e a n c e t o defeat the Congress
Party. 65
The relationship between the PSP and the Congress was
also not cordial. I n the first phase of the coalition
t h e r e developed an a x i s between t h e Chief ~ i n i s t e r and the
H o m e Minister P. T. Chacko. This political alliance
effectively c o r n e r d the deputy Chief Minister Shankar who
belonged to t h e Ezhava community. T h i s led to t h e
beginning of f a c t i o n fig-ht i n the C o n g r e s s p a r t y f o c u s i n g
64. K. C. John, The ~ e l t i n q Pot (Trivandrum, 1 9 7 5 ) , p . 69.
65. N. Jose Chander, n. 63, p. 38.
on the Christian leader of Congress P. T. Chacko and the
Ezhava leader of Congress R. Sankar. The politics of
Pattom-Chacko axis had all the blessings of Mannath
Padbhanabhan t h e l eader of t h e air service society. For
many it was s symbol of Nair-Christian unity. Meanwhile
Pattom Thanu Pillai was appointed Governor of Punjab.
Pattom resigned from Chief Ministership on 25 September
1962 and on 26 September 1962 R . Sankar assumed office as
Chief Minister. As a protest to the removal of their
leader Pattom from t h e state, the PSP ministers resigned
from the Cabinet. Thus the coalition experiment ended
with a one party rule of the Congress. The rift between
Sankar and Chacko became more and more bitter. On 20
F e b r u a r y 1 9 6 4 Chacko resigned from the Cabinet. The
immediate cause o f - t h e resignation was the Peechi episode
of 8 December 1963. On that day P. T. Chacko, the Home
Minister, g ~ t involved in a car accident at Trichur
leading to much scandal. The minister was reportedly
proceeding to peechi, a holiday resort accompanied by a
Hindu lady. They were a lone i n the car and t h e minister
was driving. The disclosure of this gave a rude shock to
the general public a s Chacko had been enjoying a
reputation as a person of strong moral character. The
opposition and a fraction of the Congress who cried for
the blood of Chacko lost no time in demanding the
resignation of P. T. Chacko. After his resignation from
the ministry he contested for the presidentship of KPCC on
14 June 1964, K. C. Abraham defeated Chacko in the p a r t y
election. P. T. Chacko d i e d of a h e a r t - a t t a c k on 1 Augus t
1964.
I n t e r n a l dissensions in the Congress P a r t y
aggrevated. It resulted in t h e withdrawal of support of
15 MLAs, who were the followers of Chacko, t o t h e
government o n 2 September 1964. These MLAs decided to
work a s a s e p a r a t e group under the leadership of
K. M. George and this paved the way for the birth of a new
p o l i t i c a l party--The Kerala Congress. Immediately a f t e r
the defeat of Chacko in the KPCC election some followers
did request Chacko to form a new party. But he firmly
replied that he would remain a Congressman till his death
and he would'not~raise his hands against the Congress.
The ministers of the Sankar Cabinet were of unanimous view
that had Chacko been alive Kerala Congress would not have
been formed. 66 The e m e r g e n c e of Kerala Congress gave an
impetus to the growth of sectional i n t e r e s t s o n t h e bas i s
of community. It (Kerala Congress) got the support of t h e
Nair-Christian v e s t e d i n t e r e s t s . " The year 1964 also
witnessed the birth of a new political p a r t y . On
ideological grounds there took place a split in the
Communist P a r t y and as a result the CPM came i n t o being on
66. Cherian Philip, n. 41, p. 1 2 8 .
67, Ibid., p. 129.
7 J u l y 1 9 6 4 . As a r e s u l t o f t h e withdrawal of support by
15 MLAs of K. M. George group, t h e government lost its
majority. P. K. Kunju of PSP introduced a no-confidence
motion in t h e legislature and i t was passed on 8 September
1964. 68 R. S a n k a r resigned and t h e state came under
President's rule on 10 September 1964. Elections were
h e l d t o the L e g i s l a t i v e Assembly o n 4 March 1 9 6 5 . T h e
election r e s u l t s were a s follows.
Kerala State Legislative Assembly ~lection 1965
Party S e a t s
Congress
Communist Party (Marxist)
SSP ' t
CPI
M u s l i m League
Kerala C o n g r e s s
RSP
J a n Sangh
Swathanthra Party
KTP
Independents
Source: Manorama Year Book 1994 (M), p . 211.
- - - --
68. Perunna K. N. Nair, n. 7 , p. 3 9 0 .
Since no p a r t y could secure an absolute majority
in the legislature, none could form a government.
The President of I n d i a dissolved the Assembly on 24 March
1965. Next elections were held in March 1967. If the
1960 elections witnessed a broad based front against the
Communist P a r t y the e lec t ion of 1967 saw the emergence of
a c o a l i t i o n against the Congress. T h e election resu l t s
were a s follows.
Kerala S t a t e Legislative Assembly Election 1967
P a r t y Seats
Congress
CPM
SSP
CPI
PSP
Muslim League
Kerala Congress
RSP
Jan Sangh
Swathanthra Party
KTP
KSP
Independents
Source : Manorama Year Book 1 9 9 4 ( M ) , p . 211.
On 6 March 1 9 6 7 t h e seven p a r t y United F r o n t
government was sworn in u n d e r the l e a d e r s h i p of EMS
Namboodiripad. The front consisted of t h e CPM, the CPI,
the Muslim League, the PSP, the RSP, the KTP and the KSP.
K. R. Gouri, P. K. ~ u n j u , Imbichi Bhava, M. K. ~ r i s h n a n ,
M, N. Govindan Nair, T. V. Thomas, P. R. Kurup,
C. H. Mohammed Koya, Ahammed Kurukal, T. K. Divaka ran ,
B. Wellington and Mathai Manjooran were the ministers.
Disunity began to grow in t h e front. The CPI g a v e w a r n i n g
t o i t s followers a g a i n s t the b e h a v i o u r of the M a r x i s t s . 6 9
The RSP a l s o followed t h e path of t h e C P I . The death of
Murali, a p r e - d e g r e e student of S. H . C o l l e g e , Thevara by
pol ice atrocities inflamed t h e emotions of students
especially th6 KSU, t h e student w i n g of t h e C o n g r e s s .
Allegations and counter allegations raised against the
ministers t h a t undermined t h e stability of the coalition
government. On 13 February 1 9 6 9 , t h e SSP member
P L P. Wilson and Congress member K . T. George raised
serious allegations against t h e Finance M i n i s t e r
P . K . Kunju. T h e Chief Minister asked the F i n a n c e
Minister to resign and he r e s i g n e d from the Ministry.
The ISP ministers P. K. Kunju and P. R . Kurup had a n
anti-Marxist view. T h e Marxists were n o t in a position
to tolerate it, It is believed that it was the
6 9 . C h e r i a n P h i l i p , n . 4 1 , p. 1 7 2 .
CPM t h a t prompted Wilson to raise allegations of
corruption against P. K. Kun ju. 7 0 Meanwhile a minifront
was emerging in the front under the leadership of the CPI.
The ISP, the RSP and t h e Musl im League c o o p e r a t e d w i t h t h e
CPI through the minifront. The first operation of the
minifront was directed against B. Wellington. In the
Cabinet meeting M. N. Govindan air, the CPI l e ade r
demanded an e n q u i r y into the corruption charges against
8. Wellington. 71 The State ~egislature passed a
r e s o l u t i o n demanding a n enquiry about the allegations
against Wellington on 4 October 1969. The Chief M i n i s t e r
declared t h a t along with the enquiry related to
Wellington, allegations against M. N. Govindan Nair,
T. V. Thomas and P . ,R . Kurup would also be enquired. It is
said t h a t the Chief Minister delebrately e x c l u d e d the RSP
and Muslim League Ministers of the minifront to i n f l u e n c e
them. An emergency meeting of the minifront decided to
withdraw all their ministers from the Cabinet. When the
r e s o l u t i o n of T. A. Majeed which demanded enquiries into
the allegations of corruption against CPM ministers
K. R. Gouri, ~mbichibava and M. K. Krishnan was passed on
24 October 1969 the EMS M i n i s t r y resigned.
70. Ibid., p. 196.
71.. Ibid., p . 2 0 2 .
With the fall of the EMS Ministry, a new coalition
Ministry was sworn in under the leadership of C. Achutha
Menon on 1 November 1 9 6 9 . Along with the four
constituents of the minifront, the Kerala Congress also
joined the coalition. By the end of 1969 there took place
another split in t h e Congress a t the na t iona l level i n t o
Congress organisation and Indira Congress. The first
Achutha Menon c o a l i t i o n g o t the f i r m support of the Indira
Congress, P. Ravindran, K. T. Jacob, N, K. S e s h a n ,
0 . K o r a n , C. H. Mohammed Koya, K. A v a k a d a r k u t t y Naha and
K. M. George were the ministers. When N. K. S e s h a n and
two other MLAs joined t h e PSP the government lost
majority. The Chief ~ i n i s t e r advised the Governor to
dissolve t h e ,legislature on 26 J u n e 1 9 7 0 . Mid-term t
elections to the ~egislative Assembly were h e l d on 17
September 1970. The CPI, t h e RSP, t h e M u s l i m League and
the Congress front, the CPM, the KSP and the KTP f r o n t and
the Congress (organisation), t h e Kerala Congress and t h e
Jan Sangh front were the main contestants in the election.
The e lec t ion results were a s follows.
Kerala State Legislative Assembly E l e c t i o n 1970
Party S e a t s
Congress
CPM
SSP
CPI
PSP
Muslim League
Kerala Congress
RSP
ISP
KTP
KSP 1
I n d e p e n d e n t s
Source: Cherian Philip, Kaal Noottandu ( M ) (~ottayam, 1984), p. 2 4 4 .
The CPI led coalition government was sowrn i n on
4 October 1970 under the l e a d e r s h i p of C, Achutha Menon.
T . K . D i v a k a r a n , C. H . Mohammed Koya, N. E. Balaram,
Baby John , P.S. Sreenivasan, K . Avakadarkutty Naha,
P. Kw Raghavan and N. K. Balakrishnan were t h e ministers.
Following the resignation of N. E. Balaram, P. S.
S r e e n i v a s a n and P. K. Raghavan, M . N . Govindan Nair and
T. V. Thomas were sworn in as ministers. On 25 September
1970 the Congress joined the cabinet. In the ministry
K. K a r u n a k a r a n , K . T . George, Vakkom Purushotharnan,
K. G. Adiyodi and Vella Echaran r e p r e s e n t e d the Congress.
The coalition p a r t n e r s were t h e CPI, t h e RSP, the Muslim
League and t h e Congress. When C . H. Mohammed Koya was
elected to the Lok Sabha from t h e M a n c h e r r y Constituency
he resigned from the C a b i n e t . In t h e place of C. H.
Mohammed Koya, Chakkery Ahammedkutty was sworn in as
minister on 2 March 1973. In March 1 9 7 3 the then KPCC
President K. K . Viswanathan was appoin ted Governor of
Gujarat. A. K. Antony was elected t h e P r e s i d e n t of the
KPCC. The years 1974 and 1975 witnessed the emergence of
new political parties in Kerala. The NDP, the political I
w i n g ,of t h e Nair Service S o c i e t y and the SRP, t h e
political wing of the Sree Narayana Dharma Paripalana
Yogam came into existence. " The year 1 9 7 5 w i t n e s s e d a
split in the Muslim League. Six MLAs of the Muslim League
withdrew support from the ministry. K. Moitheenkutty Haji
resigned from speakership on 8 May 1 9 7 5 and became t h e
leader of the dissident wing of t h e M u s l i m League.
Subsequently they organised a new party--the All India
Muslim League. 7 3 It was at this t i m e t h e original Kerala
- - - - - -
72. Perunna K. N. Nair, n. 7, p . 402 .
7 3 . Ibid., p . 403.
Congress was formed owing to a s p l i t i n t h e K e r a l a
Congress. T h e dissident group was known as the original
Kerala Congress. The three MLAs of the original Kerala
Congress rescued the government.
The Achutha Menon Ministry had to face severa l
challenges from the opposition, the vested interests in
t h e s t a t e and from the coalition partners. The Government
had to face opposition from the CPM over the question of
Land Reforms passed by the CPM government and implemented
by the CPI coalition government. The rift between t h e
Congress and the ~ u s l i m League over the question of
' B h a r a t h Ratna' a non-detailed t e x t b o o k at t h e h i g h school
level created tensions in the coalition. It was alleged
that the book contained certain n e g a t i v e r emarks about - Mohammed A l i Jinna, t h e founder of Muslim League. T h e
r i f t between the Congress and the CPI over the question to
the Thappar g r o u p to establish ~ i t a n i u m complex industry
also gave sufficient headache to t h e gove rnmen t .
The government had to face opposition from the
private college managers w h e n t h e government t r i e d t o
introduce some reforms in this regard mainly on admission
of students and appointment of t e a c h e r s . The government
and the management eventually a r r i v e d at an agreement by
which the management agreed to constitute a f i v e member
committee i n c l u d i n g t h e representatives of the management,
university and government for the selection of teachers.
The agreement also provided for some regulations to the
admission of students in the colleges. 50 per cent of
seats were reserved in the open merit quota, 10 per cent
to the community quota, 20 per cent to the Schedulde Caste
and Schedulde Tribes and 20 per cent seats to the
management. The government had to face in 1973 the NGO
strike. The rift between the KPCC President A . K . Antony
and Home Minister K. Karunakaran gave birth to faction
fight in t h e Congress. The Youth Congress and the KSU
strongly supported A. K. A n t o n y . The r e l a t i o n s h i p between
these two leaders came to its worst by 1 9 7 4 .
In spite, of a11 these, d u r i n g the Achutha Menon
Ministry the state witnessed tremendous progress in
different fields. For the introduction of developmental
programmes each government department competed with each
other. 7 4 The implementation of Land ~ e f o r m A c t , t h e O n e
Lakh House Programme, Programmes for the D e v e l o p m e n t of
Agriculture and Industry and public health attracted the
a t t e n t i o n of t h e ordinary people and made them support the
g o v e r n m e n t .
74. Cherian Philip, n. 41, p. 317.
The declaration of General Emergency in India on 25
June 1975 had its echo in Kerala politics also, The Chief
Minister began to strongly support emergency and he
faithfully followed the union directives and implemented
the policies and programmes of the centre. D u r i n g the
emergency K. Karunakaran began to gain more power in t h e
organisational and administrative fields as he was
emerging a confidant of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and
since he was a l s o holding the gowerful Home partfolio.
Elections to the Legislative Assembly which was to be
held in September 1975 was postponed for six months due to
emergency. On 3 October 1975 the government completed its
five y e a r term. On 26 October 1975 Kerala Congress
representatives K. M. Mani and R. Balakrishna Pillai were %
sworn in as ministers. After six months K. M e George
became the minister f o r transport in p lace of
R. Balakrishna Pillai. A n o t h e r split took place in t h e
Kerala Congress. K. M. George died on 11 December 1976.
Election was held to the ~egislative Assembly on 19 March
1977. The election results were as follows.
Kerala State Legislative Assembly Election 1977
Party Seats
Congress
CPM
CPI
PSP
Indian Union Muslim League
Kerala Congress
RSP
NDP
J a n a t h a Party
All India Muslim League
Kerala Congress ( P i l l a i g r o u p ) 'I
Independent
Source : Manorama Year Book 1994 (M), p . 2 1 2 .
A Congress led c o a l i t i o n government u n d e r the
leadership of K. Karunakaran assumed office on 2 5 March
1977. P. K. Vasudevan Nair , J. Chitharanjan, K a n t h a l o t t u
Kunjambu, Baby John, K w Pankanjashan, C. H. Mohammed Koya,
Avukadarkutty Naha, E. John Jacob, K. M. Mani, Kw Narayana
Kurup, K. Sankara Narayanan, K. K. Balakrishnan,
M. K. Hemachandran a n d O o m m e n Chandy w e r e s w o r n i n as
ministers. The Congress, the C P I , the RSP, the Indian
Union Muslim League and the Kerala Congress were the
coalition partners. Following an adverse v e r d i c t in
t h e Rajan case, C h i e f M i n i s t e r Karunakaran resigned.
A. K. Antony assumed office a s C h i e f M i n i s t e r in December
1 9 7 7 . Meanwhile another s p l i t took place i n t h e Congress
P a r t y a t the national l e v e l . T h e followers o f Indira
Gandhi oryanised parallel Congress Committee in Kerala
u n d e r t h e l e a d e r s h i p of K . K a r u n a k a r a n . K. M. Chandy
w a s elected a s the P r e s i d e n t o f KPCC I n d i r a g r o u p .
On 2 7 October 1 9 7 8 A . K . A n t o n y r e s i g n e d from Chief
M i n i s t e r s h i p protesting t h e i n d i r e c t support of the
Congress Parliamentary Board in favour of Indira G a n d h i in
the ~ h ~ i k a r n a n ~ a i o r e , by-election. P. K. Vasudevan Nair of
the CPI assumed office of C h i e f M i n i s t e r o n 2 9 October
1978. The Congress m i n i s t e r s in this C a b i n e t were
S . Varadarajan Nair, A. L. Jacob, D a m o d a r a n Kalasserry
a n d M. K . Raghavan. T h e m i n i s t e r s of o ther parties in t h e
A . K. A n t o n y M i n i s t r y c o n t i n u e d i n t h i s C a b i n e t . On 1 5
November 1978 P. S. Sreenivasan and K. P . Prabhakaran were
sworn is as ministers in the place of J. Chitharanjan and
Kanthalottu Kunjambu. The split in the Kerala C o n g r e s s
i n t o Mani g r o u p and Joseph g r o u p took place a t t h i s time.
By this time t h e CPI and the RSP dec ided to join with the
Left Democratic Front. P. K. Vasudevan Nair's government
resigned on 7 October 1979.
The months of October, November and December 1 9 7 9
witnessed the worst type of p o l i t i c a ' l defection in K e r a l a
politics. Qn 12 October 1379 C. H. Mohammed Koya
was sworn in as the C h i e f Minister. When the Kera la
Congress(M) withdrew s u p p o r t from the government,
K . A . Mathew of Kerala Conyress(M) joined Kerala
Congress(J) and gave support to t h e Koya M i n i s t r y . On 22
November 1979 when P. K. Ittuppu of Janatha P a r t y w i t h d r e w
support from the government, K. Narayana Kurup and
Vattiyurkav Ravi of Kerala Conyress(~) joined era la
Conyress(J) and gave support to the government. when the %
Congress withdrew its support from the government,
Mohammed Koya ~ i n i s t r y resigned on 2 7 November 1 9 7 9 .
Elections to t h e L e g - i s l a t i v e Assembly were held on 2 1
J a n u a r y 1980. The election results were as follows.
Kerala S t a t e Legislative Assembly Election 1980
P a r t y Seats
CPM
Congress (u)
CPI
All India Muslim League
RSP
Kerala Congress(M)
Kerala Congress ( ~ i l l a i )
Congress(1)
Indian Union Muslim League
Kerala Congress(J)
DSP
NDP
Janatha Party
Independent
Source: Manorama Year Book 1994 (M), p. 214,
T h e CPM l e d c o a l i t i o n government under the l e a d e r s h i p
of E. K. Nayana r was sworn i n on 25 J a n u a r y 1 9 8 0 .
K. M. Mani, Lonappan Nambad.an, P . C. Chacko, Ariyadan
Mohammed, Vakkom Purushothaman, A. C. Shanrnugadas, Baby
John, R. S. Unni, P. S. Sreenivasan, E . Chandrasekharan
Nair, A * Subha Rao, P . M. Abubekar, R . ~ a l a k r i s h n a Pillai,
T. K. Ramakrishnan, K. R . G o u r i and M. K. ~ r i s h n a n were
the m i n i s t e r s . The CPM, the CPI, t h e Kerala Congress(M),
the Congress(U), the RSP, t h e All I n d i a ~ u s l i m League,
Kerala Congress (Pillai group) were the coalition
partners.
Internal dissensions in the front began to undermine
the stability of the government. The Congress(U) f e l t
that t h e CPM humiliated them. The articles published in
the Deshabh i rnan i d a i l y by T h a y a t t u S a n k a r a n provoked them.
The Congress w i t h d r e w support from the government on 16
October 1981. When the Kerala CongresstM) also withdrew
support from the government, on 20 October 1981 Chief
Minister' Nayanar resigned.
A Congress(1) led coali.tion ministry under the
leadership of K. K a r u n a k a r a n assumed o f f i c e o n 28 December
1981. C. H. Mohammed Koya assumed the o f f i c e of d e p u t y
Chief Minister. Oohmen Chandy, K. M. Mani, P. J. Joseph,
R. S u n d a r e s a n Nair, C . M. Sundaram and K. Sivadasan w e r e
the m i n i s t e r s .
The coalition partners were the congress(^), t h e
Congress(A), t h e K e r a l a Congress(M), the Kerala
Congress(J), the NDP, the PSP and the RSP(S). The
government had to survive on the casting vote of t h e
S p e a k e r . When Lonappan Nambadan of the Kerala Congress(M)
withdrew support from the government, the g o v e r n m e n t lost
m a j o r i t y . On 1 7 March 1 9 8 2 the government resigned.
Fresh elections to t'he Legislative Assembly were held on
19 May 1 9 8 2 . T h e election results were as follows.
Kerala S t a t e Legislative Assembly Election 1982
P a r t y Seats
Congress(1)
Congress(A)
IUML
Kerala Conyress(M)
Kerala Conyrcss(J)
N D P
SRP
PSP
DLP
Independent
CPM
CPM ( I n d e p e n d e n t )
CPI
C o n g r e s s { s )
RSP
All India Muslim League
Janatha Party
Kerala Congress (Socialist) 1
DSP 1
Source: Manorama Year Book 1994 (M), p. 215.
A Congress(1) led coalition government under the
leadership of K . K a r u n a k a r a n was sworn in on 24 May 1982.
K. K. Balakrishnan, M. P . Gangadaran, C. V. Padmarajan,
Vayalar Ravi, Cyriac John, K. P. ~oorudhin, C. H. Mohammed
Koya, E. Ahammed, U. A. Beeran, K. M. Mani, R. Balakrishna
Pillai, P. J. Joseph, T. M. Jacob, K. G. R. Kartha,
N. Sreenivasan, M. Kamalam, C.M. Sundaram and K. Sivadasan
were the ministers. The coalition partners were the
Congress(I), the Congress(A), the Indian Union Muslim'
League, the Kerala Congress(M), the Kerala Congress(J),
the N D P , the SRP, the Janatha(G), the PSP and the RsP(S).
The Congress(1) and the Congress(A1 decided to merge
and the merger took place on 20 November 1984. When the
Speaker Vakkom Purusho tharnan was elected to t h e Lok Sabha,
V . M; Sudeeran fr'brn Congress assumed office as Speaker.
Several allegations were raised against ministers like
R. Balakrishna Pillai, M.P. Gangadaran and N. Sreenivasan.
The allegation against Pillai was that he preached the
need for a Punjab model strike against the centre, in a
public meeting. M. P. Gangadaran and N. Sreenivasan
resigned from the Cabinet following adverse remarks from
the judiciary against them. The state politics also saw
certain unpleasant scenes following the election of
V. M. Sudheeran as Speaker. The removal of the Chief
Minister from the Privilege Committee and his ruling
against the too much insistance of the government on
Ordinances aggrevated the rift between the Chief Minister
and the Speaker. T h e reshuffle of t h e portfolios of
ministers and the r e s i g n a t i o n of Vayalar ~ a v i from
ministry b r o u g h t t h e coalition partners in a dilemma and
that got reflected in the next election. Elections to the
Legislative Assembly were held in the early months of
1 9 8 7 . The e l e c t i o n results were as follows.
Kerala Legislative Assembly Election 1987
Party Seats
CPM
CP I
Janatha P a r t y
Congress(S)
RSP
Lok D a ' l 't
CPM (Independent)
CPI (Independent)
Congress(1)
Muslim League
Kerala Congress(J)
Kerala Congress(M)
NDP
PSP
CMP
Congress (~ndependent)
Independent
Source: Manorama Year Book 1 9 9 4 (M), p 2 1 7 .
The CPM led Left Democratic Front government under
t h e leadership of E. K. Nayanar assumed office in March
1987. Baby John, K. Chandrasekharan, E. Chandrasekharan
Nair, K. R. G o u r i , T . K. Hamsa, N . M. Joseph, Lonappan
Nambadan, A. Neelalohithadasa Nadar, K. Pankajakshan,
P. K. Raghavan, V. V. Raghavan, T. K. Rarnakrishnan,
T. Sivadasamenon, P . S o Sreenivasan, V. J. Thankappan,
V. Viswanatha Menon, A. C. Shanmugadas and K O Sankara
Narayana P i l l a i were sworn in as ministers. The coalition
partners included the CPM, the CPI, the Janatha Party, the
Congress(S), the RSP and t h e Lok Dal.
During the tenure of this CPM led coalition Kerala
witnessed several far reaching c h a n g e s in their policies.
They accepted' th-e importance of t h e private sector and
invited private industrialists to the state. The
government allowed more educational institutions in the
private sector. To make decentralisation of power
District Councils were organised. Elections to the
District Councils were held on 29 J a n u a r y 1991. In 1991
the LDF decided to face elections to the ~egislative
Assembly dreaming better prospects. Results of 1991
elections were as follows.
Kerala Legislative Assembly Election 1991
P a r t y Seats
Congress(1)
Muslim League
Kerala Congress(M)
Kerala Congress(B)
NDP
CMP
Independent
CPM
CPI
Janatha Dal
Conyress(S) - '
RSP
Kerala Congress(J)
Independent
- -
Source: Manorama Year Book 1994 ( M ) , p . 218.
A Congress(1) led coalition government was sworn in
u n d e r the leadership of K. Karunakaran on 24 June 1991.
The formation of the ministry was n o t an easy t a s k . T h e
C h i e f Minister r e f u s e d to accommodate V . M. Sudheeran in
the Cabinet. Oomman Chandy, P . P . George, C.V. ~ a d m a r a j a n ,
N. Rarnakrishnan, Pandalam Sudhakaran, M. D . Padma,
T o H . Musthafa, M. R. Reghuchandra Bal, K . P. Viswanathan,
P. K. Kunjalikutty, E. T. Mohammed Basheer, P. K. K. Bava,
C . T . Mohammed Ali, K.M. Mani, T. M. J a c o b , R . Balakrishna
Pillai, R. Ramachandran Nair and M. V. Raghavan were the
ministers. The coalition partners were the Congress(I),
the Muslim League, the Kerala C o n g r e s s ( M ) , the Kerala
Congress(B), the NDP and the CMP.
I n t e r n a l d i s s e n s i o n s i n t h e Congress Party that
started in 1991 are s t i l l continuing. T h e p a r t y is now
d i v i d e d i n t o Karunakaran and Antony groups. T h e defeat of
A. K. Antony in the KPCC Presidential election widened the
gap between the t w o g r o u p s . T h e Congress group politics
took another-furn,by the resignation of Oomman Chandy and
K. P. Viswanathan o f the Antony g r o u p f rom the Cabinet.
The joint move o f the Antony group and the coalition
partners compelled Karunakaran to r e s i g n . One 16 March
1995 K. Karunakaran resigned and A. K. Antony assumed
o f f i c e as C h i e f M i n i s t e r on 22 March 1995.
An examination o f the functioning of c o a l i t i o n
governments in Kerala from 1960 to the present reveals t h e
simple fact that the principle of expediency rather than
i d e o l o g y guided the coalition partners. Gandhi gave
w a r n i n g a g a i n s t seven e v i l s i n the society. The first
warning--politics without principle becomes a reality
under the coalition experiment. Gandhi w a r n e d us against
seven evils--politics w i t h o u t principle, l u x u r y w i t h o u t
ha rdwork , w i s d o m without charac te r , science w i t h o u t
h u m a n i t y , c o m m e r c e w i t h o u t m o r a l i t y a n d worship without
sacrifice. Today our leaders are afraid of t h i s warning.
Most of them think that these are not evils. That is why
we do not have peace of mind. 7 5 Gandhism went into the
backyards of t h e politics of the country. Gandhi and the
Gandhian v a l u e s were almost completely ignored in India.
The first opposition leader in independent India was
Mahatma G a n d h i . 76
Kerala came under the rule of 15 coalition
governments from 1960 to 1995. The Congress l e d seven
coalition governments, the CPM led three coalitions, the 9
CPI l e d three coalition governments, the PSP led one
coalition government and the Muslim League l e d one
coalition government. The Congress led seven coalitions,
and t h e p a r t y b e c a m e partners and s u p p o r t e r s in the Pattom
led PSP Ministry and i n t he Achutha Menon led CPI
m i n i s t r y . I n t h e P . K . V a s u d e v a n Nair led CPI coalition,
in the Mohammed Koya led Muslim League coalition and in
the E. K. Nayanar led CPM coalition government ( 1 9 8 0 ) t h e
Congress(A) group became a p a r t n e r .
7 5 . G. Kumara Pillai, "Bhashaposhini" (Kottayarn, October 19941, p m 10.
( K o t t a y a m ) , March
The Congress cannot escape from the responsibility
for the utter denial of the application of Gandhian values
in the politics of Kerala. The Congress Party is supposed
to carry out andh hi an principles because it is regarded as
the heirs of Gandhian heritage. The principle of
expediency guided the Congress leaders and were compelled
to seek cooperation from small and minor p a r t i e s who
represented sectional interests which did much harm to
value based politics in the state. The CPM a l s o d i d t h e
same. Compared to the Congress, the CPM seems perhaps
more justified in this regard since they believe in t h e
Marxian doctrine that 'the end justifies the means'. Some
of the policies a n d programmes of the CPM led government
reflect some 'of the principles of Gandhism. The Land
Reforms Acts, the formation of District ~ouncils, etc.
enabled them to realise some of the principles of Gandhian
economics and decentralisation.
The G a n d h i a n v a l u e s I a c q u i r e d d u r i n g my early political life made me a Communist, and I am proud of it. I consider the prolitarian politics I practice in my life is a more higher form of the " D h a r i d r a N a r a y a n a Seva" of Mahatma. In t h a t I consider myself a s a Communist who could assimilate the personality a n d thinking of Gandhi.[77]
77. EMS ~arnboodiripad, "Bhashaposhini" (Kottayam, October 1994), p . 6.
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