Despite Congress boycott, why Pinarayi’s protest against Centre packed a punch in Delhi

When Kerala’s ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF) planned a gathering in Delhi, bringing its protest against the central government to the streets, many viewed it as a desperate move by a government that is under fire for various allegations including financial mismanagement.

However, through adept organisational skills and political manoeuvring, Pinarayi Vijayan and the CPI(M) have successfully shifted the narrative in their favour. They've even managed to garner new allies even within the Congress, like Karnataka leaders DK Shivakumar and Priyank Kharge, despite staunch opposition to the LDF government from their counterparts in Kerala.

A day after the Siddaramaiah-led Congress government staged a protest in Delhi against the alleged injustice in disbursal of funds and reduced tax devolution to Karnataka by the central government, Kerala staged a similar protest against the Centre’s ‘discriminative policies’ at Jantar Mantar. The Vijayan-led protest was joined by several leaders including the chief ministers of Delhi and Punjab.

‘Kerala protest more impactful’

For many observers, the protest organised by the Kerala government proved to be more impactful than Karnataka’s ‘Chalo Delhi’ protest, mostly because of the participation of prominent leaders such as Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, Tamil Nadu minister Palanivel Thiagarajan, National Conference leader Farooq Abdullah, and Rajya Sabha member Kapil Sibal along with CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury, and CPI general secretary D Raja.

“Today, we are at a historical juncture of the Indian republic. A democracy that was envisaged as a 'Union of States' is slowly and steadily being crippled into an undemocratic 'Union over States'. We are seeing its manifestations around the country, especially in Opposition-ruled states. We have all come together to register our strong protest against this and to preserve the federal structure of India. Today we are marking the beginning of a renewed fight that would herald a dawn of ensuring equitable treatment of the states. This fight would also strive to maintain a balance in the Centre-state relations. Thus, the 8th of February 2024, is going to be a red-letter day in the history of the republic of India,” Vijayan said in his introductory remarks.

How Kerala countered Centre’s North Vs South narrative

Similar sentiments were echoed by the Karnataka leader during their protest in Delhi. But the Centre, downplayed the allegations and accused the Congress of promoting a "separatist mentality" and seeking to "divide the country" based on “unsubstantiated false claims”.

In his Rajya Sabha speech, Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged the Congress and its government in Karnataka to halt their efforts to create a narrative dividing the country into north and south, stating that it poses a threat to the nation's future.

However, by roping in leaders both from the north and the south, Kerala effectively countered this narrative, setting the tone for the election campaign in the state.

“The event wasn't just a conference, as alleged by the state Congress leadership, but it was a bold protest. It wasn't just about Kerala’s issues; it was a strong stand against the Modi government's moves to mess with India's federal setup. The national leaders’ participation helped the CPI(M) shut down the BJP's claim that it was stirring up regional divides, similar to what they said about Karnataka's ‘Chalo Delhi’ protest. It backed up Kerala's accusation that the BJP wants to split up states that aren't with them, a worry shared by others too,” said T J Sreelal, a Kerala-based senior journalist.

“If the Congress in Kerala hadn’t taken a tough stance on the state’s problems, they could've given a boost to the broader INDIA bloc by joining in. Moreover, the protest showed that beating the BJP and its allies isn’t just speaking against them; but having a solid plan and strong leadership. This protest proved that bringing together people with similar goals works better than big marches across the country for justice,” Sreelal said.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal who spoke at the event took the issue beyond the notion of central apathy or discrimination towards the state by pointing out the ‘witch-hunt’ against opposition leaders. He accused the BJP of engaging in vindictive politics through the misuse of central agencies.

“ED is a new weapon now. Till now, only after a person was proven guilty, he or she used to be sent to jail. But now, they have just decided whom to send to jail, then think which case to impose on the person. Hemant Soren has been put in jail when the case has not even been initiated. Tomorrow, they can put me, Vijayan ji, Stalin sahib or Siddaramaiah sahab in jail and topple the government,” he said.

Pinarayi Vijayan has no right to protest: Congress

However, Kerala Congress leaders reiterated that the state’s financial woes were largely due to the actions of the LDF government. Some echoed the accusations made by BJP leaders, including Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman against the Pinarayi Vijayan government.

“Everyone knows the fiscal crisis in the state is due to financial mismanagement and corruption by the LDF government. The chief minister has never raised our state's demands with the prime minister before. Kerala's protest in Delhi is incomparable to Karnataka's; they have genuine grievances over denied funds from the Centre. While we acknowledge the Centre’s discrimination, Pinarayi Vijayan has no right to protest,” said Ramesh Chennithala, senior Congress leader.

It is interesting to note that Siddaramaiah’s public outreach programme, ‘Janaspandana’, closely follows the recently concluded ‘Navakerala Sadas’, a similar initiative started by Vijayan that covered the entire state.

CPI(M)’s counter to central schemes

CPI(M) leaders have already begun using Siddaramaiah's statement that those who don't join the protest against the Centre are betraying the state's interests, targeting state Congress leaders.

Experts say, by launching an all-out assault and organising a series of protests against the Union government, the CPI(M) and the LDF aim to quell the flames of anti-incumbency, which are particularly significant in the state this time. They have been vigorously campaigning that welfare pensions and other schemes have been severely impacted solely due to the Centre’s denial of financial aid to the state.

Through this strategy, they aim to counter the BJP's plan of directly implementing central schemes like Bharat rice, where rice will be provided at ₹29 per kg. The central scheme was launched in Thrissur, a constituency BJP is pinning its hopes on.

Now the Congress will have to work out on some counter strategy to bring back the attention to the shortfalls of the state government, which it will be focussing during its statewide march named 'Samaragni' (Fire of protest) led by leader of opposition V D Satheesan and KPCC president K Sudhakaran, starting on February 21.