When all the enlightened people are pressing for enforcing their rights in the areas of their sojourn, what will happen to the millions of others who are not so well-informed. In effect, the vocal people are cornering the resources. Is it not at the expense of other innocous people ?

Suppose there is a Utopian situation in which all the people get sufficiently enlightened and bargain for their rights, how will they get the intended benefits ?

Now in the whole world, those who clamour for various rights are being handed them down, making a swipe at the resources pegged for the not-so-strong echelons of the society.

When all are aware of their rights, they will clamour among themselves for a piece of the cake. Concomitantly, clashes and strife will result in.

When people built the Tower of Babel to reach up to Heaven, many tongues got introduced. One did not understand what the other was speaking. There was a free-for-all and consequent destruction.

Likewise, people demand more and more and they get more and more, reaching a position when there won't be anything more to shell out. Still they would want to press with their demands, and nothing would emanate from the emptyness . They would find themselves in a Black Hole.

With the limitations of the brain, the intellect and the wisdom, men are going after an ideal situation of achieving super-intellligence.

Men aimed for the Moon, they got it. Now they are aiming for Mars and what not. Maybe, in the millions of years hereafter, humankind whose generations aspire to home in on the celestial bodies, perhaps they would have destinations made ready there.

Still there are galaxies aplenty, beyond the Solar System, to be explored. There would be no end to the searches being made by men.

To his luck, V S Achuthanandan has turned out to be the centre-piece of the present Assembly elections, not by design exactly but by circumstances.

Hats off to him, who had to wage a relentless battle against his rivals for getting even a ticket for the elections.

Initially, the opposition was the hardest from his own party leaders. The politburo was phenomenal in denying him a ticket. But on pressure exerted by the people at large, it had to renege on this.

Now after a ticket has been offered, his recommendations for fielding candidates in various constituencies had to be accepted at least in part. Earlier, that was not the case.

Taking a cue from the quirk of circumstances resulting in VS shining in the centre-stage, the Congress had to be on the defensive. The UDF, of which Congress is the principal party, targetted V S.

There have been so many assertions about his inability to don the mantle of Chief Ministership. By and large, the LDF and the people have accepted the fact that V S would be the Chief Minister. It is yet to be seen whether his rivals in the CPM would be able to turn the tables against him at the last minute by defeating him.
In the whole bargain of the election scenario, V S stood out in the arc light.

Good luck, comrade. You have the last chance to lead the State.

Iran problem is causing consternation in the world. Iran will not give up its nuclear programme, which it says is for peaceful purposes like generating energy. The US and Israel do not subscribe to this view. Enrichment of uranium will help Iran in its covert nuclear weapons programme.

An intransigent Iran would go ahead with the weapons programme, infuriating the US and other allies. The US will go the whole hog to bridle Iran. Israel would only to be too willing to strike.

If and when the nuclear facilities of Iran are attacked, it would not sit idle. That it is being attacked by Zionist Israel and "anti-Islamic" US would propel its fundamentalist forces to launch a blitzkrieg. Terrorist and guerrilla warfare has no limitations.

Robert Blackville, former US Ambassador to India, has made it clear that the US would have no choice but to attack Iran. He has also acknowledged that there would be terrible repercussions.

The world is sitting on a tinderbox, not of fire, but of annihilatory nukes. When cultures , religions and faiths clash, these would be a free-for-all.

India has started trying out anti-nuke uniforms and masks for its soldiers. Apparently, Iran's intransigence has spread the panick button.


Islamist countries have been trying to develop nuclear weapons knowhow. According to reports quoting Western countries, several Islamist nations were engaged in clandestine programmes to obtain nuclear know-how.

They were helped by Pakistan's A Q M Khan. It is, therefore, clear that Pakistan has been, one way or other, helping proliferation of nukes know-how.

The US, which has always been bracketing India and Pakistan together in matters nuclear, did not pay enough heed to rogue elements taking advantage of the expertise they secured from countries like China. It was to browbeat India that China and the US and UK either provided direct help or allowed others to equip Pakistan in all spheres in an attempt to equate the two Asian countries,which have the same origin.

Now it is a thing of the past, with the US confirming that India has been a good boy, never indulging in clandestine proliferation.

Now India, which is home to the second largest Muslim population in the world, cannot take a stance antagonistic to Iran, for various reasons, including oil supply from it.

Even if India keeps off, once US strikes Iran, India will also have to bear the brunt one way or other.

The coming days are crucial for this part of the world, with Iran reticent to fall in line and the US keen on "disarming" it of nuclear weapons.

How should our youth face the morass of a world with instances of injustice ruling the roost everywhere ?

All religious persuasions want their followers to stick to truth, love, justice and fairplay in all matters mundane to attain salvation. Karma, or actions in this world, will determine the fate of the soul.

A large number of people live a religious life, that is proclaiming Godliness in whatever they do. They are pulling a wool over their eyes for all acts of profanity and considering the same acts as profound. As there is no judge or juror present on the dot, they get away with their duplicity.No one is looking, and they escape.

And there are professional saviours of all kinds who offer salvation for all heinous deeds of human beings, if they repent at the last moment.

Actually, this repentance should be a public proclamation and not a private affirmation. People should know that a particular individual has forsaken the evil ways and adopted a good way of life, which underscores loving one's neighbour, or simply other people.

Particularly, in this world of liberalism, capitalism and competition, people go in for the kill to snatch a piece of the bounty. Parents want their children to top up in whatever line of profession they are engaged in. They are not bothered about the path adopted by them for attaining captaincy.

Even a large number of parents , apparently, do not mind their wards getting rich, even if it is by foul means.
Money counts and therefore the end justifies the means, for them.

The moot questions is: Suppose there are a number of people who want to live an honest life, even if it offers him or her only frugal income and other means. How will they survive in a world where most of the others are not bothered about the morality or otherwise of the deeds. It does not require much introspection to come to the conclusion that a large number of people live by devious means.

If one says yes, the actual position is no, with regard to one's public assertion. A gentleman is one who does not cheat on another person when he is not looking. Can an average human being be trusted like this ?

There are institutions and firms who want to cut out flab. They fix a percentage cut. Then they indulge in all sorts of skullduggery to eliminate persons they don't want. They engage middle-level bosses to cook up situations in which the junior cannot continue. If the junior has a slight chance of reaching the top positions, he woul d be cut to size , not by the top brass but by the average middle level worthies so that their position would not be risky.

In this sort of free-for-all to achieve gains by foul means, how would our youth pull on and how would they live a life of straightforwardness, honesty and truth ?

Morality should be in deeds and not in assertions.

The cat and mouse race has again begun in the CPM regarding the Chief Ministership, if the LDF comes to power.

Now that CPM State Secretary Pinarayi Vijayan and his acolytes have been lying low for some time, the people at large thought V.S.Achuthanandan would be the natural choice. His candidacy itself was embroiled in controversy. People's pressure had permeated all around the politburo, which changed its mind to rope in Achuthanandan.

If the powerful lobby in the CPM is anathema to Achuthanandan becoming the Chief Minister, it would not sit idle. Rather it would run the undercurrents to defeat him at the election itself. That would save it from a lot of trouble later.

If so much halabaloo has been created on denying a seat for Achuthanandan, one can imagine the consternation waiting in the wings if he does not get Chief Ministership. There cannot be a slip between the cup and the lip, for this is the last chance for Achuthanandan.

Still, the party is not willing to give the post to him on a platter, judging by the comments made by responsible leaders like S.Ramachandran Pillai.

Popularity among the masses is not the sole criterion for the selection. The person should be able to pull the LDF bandwagon together, even as the administration should be CPM-centric. The hidden point is that Achuthanandan does not fill the bill in this regard.

The bogey that he is unfit has , of late been , raised by Congress leader A.K.Antony. Achuthanandan's rivals within the party found this an apt occasion to go in for his jugular.

Achuthanandan's no-nonsense approach on various issues is not liked by leaders who want to celebrate governance at its seams. With Achuthanandan at the head of the government, the movers and shakers would find themselves cobbled.

Also, When he is not able to raise proper finance for socialistic schemes, Achuthanandan would directly confront the Central government headed by Dr Manmohan Singh. The UPA Government, led by Singh, is for all practical purposes, rightist liberal, falling only a little short of being capitalist.

Achuthanandan would be a thorn in its flesh. Many stalwarts of the CPM at the Centre does not want to upset the applecart. They are moving cheek-by-jowls with the ruling dispensation at the Centre, maintaining bonhomie with the Sonia Gandhi lot.

Therefore, for them, the best way to do away with irritation is to leave out Achuthanandan.

Even this might not be that simple. People's power cannot be ignored. Otherwise, the consequences would be disastrous .

Assembly elections in Kerala would witness a resurgence of the Congress-led UDF vis-a-vis the last Lok Sabha elections, though it won't build up the requisite majority.


The UDF had to literally bite the dust at the Lok Sabha elections,campaigned during the regime of Chief Minister A K Antony. The fact that the Congress could not secure a single seat underscored the disdain of the people.The Congress was immersed in mud-slinging of an unprecedented level. From within the party, senior leader K.Karunakaran was at his best in settling scores. He was taking umbrage against Antony and his followers for ditching him earlier.

The communal equations in sharing the benefits of the ruling party in various sectors were not kept in tact. Antony had to pay the heaviest price for it. He thought his unsullied personal image would salvage the lost confidence. Antony was only sitting in an ivory tower.The people's ire is unpredictable.

There were not many supporters for him to make him continue in office after the miserable debacle in the Lok Sabha elections.

In the present Assembly elections, the UDF would not have this predicament. It would prove to be a strong Opposition.

Antony's successor, Oommen Chandy, did his best to lead the UDF. He was courageous enough to throw out splinter group leaders like T M Jacob and R Balakrishna Pillai, who were taught a lesson. The two mischief-making leaders ultimately found their way back into the UDF. Pillai re-entered it directly.Jacob is in the vicinity as his party, the DIC, has electoral understanding with the UDF. Jacob is one leader who has a fund of experience at manouevring and manipulations. He has over-spent his abilities. The people have seen through his tactics.

Then what are the options available for the people. They do not have continuing liking for any front. That is best-proved by the fact that no front could win the elections one after the other.

LDF once, to be followed by the UDF, is the going. The people are fed up with the ruling front. So they have the option to elect the rival front. People do not want the BJP to rule the State.

If The LDF wins, it is not because the people crave for it, but they have a longing to get rid of the machinations of the ruling class.

The CPM's dire deeds to drive out V S Achuthanandan from the electoral fray have helped to spread a sympathy wave for the octogenarian leader who was waiting in the wings to lead a government. If his own party does not want him to be the Chief Minister, the people have come forward to press for his presence. Non-committal voters have come to the aid of Achuthanandan. But will his own party ditch him at the hustings ?

Achuthanandan looks a rigid leader, but he knows the undercurrents well. He has to change his tunes according to the demands of the times. Otherwise, he would be a failure.

The practice of an LDF Government was to pull the government along as the big brother, the CPM, wants it. Everything is decided by the party. So what is there for his rival faction to rue, since the party machinery is firmly with it ?

Let Achuthanandan go through the mills of governance. He should shoulder the responsibility of leading the State through thick and thin. He cannot simply blame the Centre for anything and everything. By giving a request to the Centre for financial aid for setting up projects, he cannot claim having excelled in governance which is a different cup of role.
The people are fed up with both the fronts, but the would like the rival to rule for the nonce.

The inimitable V P Singh is at it again. He cannot sit idle. The latest political dispensation is the Jan Morcha or People's Movement that he has floated along with film actor Raj Babbar.It is the political outfit of V P Singh's Kisan Manch.

The latest development comes about from the undercurrents churning the political arena.

The attempt is to try it out in UP first and, if successful, waft around the national scene.

Afterall, alternative governments led by Singh, Chandra Shekhar, I K Gujral, Deve Gowda were all fledglings formed from fragments of political dissent in one's umbrella as well as in other parties.

This time around, thoughts beam around linking the possibility of mid-term elections on completion of the Assembly elections in five States.

Politics being the art of exploiting possibilities, and coalitions having come about bidding goodbye to one-party rule, new patterns could be thought of .

But Singh and his acolytes have to work for creating a formation that would fetch a sizeable number of seats, capable of bargaining with others to cobble together a platform for governance.

The bid to scare Mulayam Singh Yadav in UP, hoping to rope in RJD of Lalu Prasad Yadav, Janata Dal (U) of Sharad Yadav and other fringe groups would rattle the monoliths.

But what about Mayawati's BSP ? If she does not gravitate towards this movement, whose pocketboroughs would be eaten away by V P Singh's outfit ?

Maybe, this would facilitate political players at the national scene to mull about a third front. And what would be the posture of Ramvilas Paswan, Ajit singh et al?


BJP's Pramod Mahajan, when he recovers, would be immobilised for a long time to come.
His winning tactics were the strong points of that party, which now would have to contend with average second-rung leadership. Arun Jaitley, Sushma Swaraj and others are good at oratory, but to what extent they can apply new tools and organise people is a far cry.

Vajpayee being tired out, Advani not the posterboy of RSS anymore, Rajnath Singh lacking the national stature, unpredictable and unsubstantive Uma Bharti out and berating with Madanlal Khurana in tow, the BJP could well be dragging along.Sonia-baiting is its main programme, which in the long run would be counter-productive.

Therefore, fringe parties which have been waiting outside the corridors of power would grab any new-found opportunities to get in.Every one would want a pound of flesh of governance. But with the mainframe rivals, adept at manouevres and manipulations, short-cut methods would not be easily clinchable.

Man's foreknowledge is bounded by the brains, and nothing beyond. The brains were bestowed by the benign God Almighty, Who wanted man to be bounteous but not buccaneering.

The unpredicability of man's behaviour behoves the limitations of his accomplishments. He cannot see beyond what is sest forth for him.
If only men could precisely predict his predicament, they were like God.Men were left to fend for themselves, with no precise indication of what holds in store for them. Otherwise, they would steer clear of the dangerous situations. Man may grow in wealth and prosperity, only to explode at some point of time later.

The strife in the present world is an indicator about the futility of human race without the benign presence of God Almighty. For some time, man may hover over mundane matters, often of manipulations, foolishly thinking that he is lord and master of everything he holds.

The other day, Pramod Mahajan was at his best in leadership. By quirk of fate, which no one could antitipate, he is on the ventillator. There may have been some hanky panky. Had the real issue been known to others, there could have been rapprochement and removal of bad blood. May God give him an opportunity to serve the people again.

But fate cannot be fettered. Fate moves at its pace. This incident should be an eye-opener to humanity about the positivity of meekness. Afterall, the meek inherits the earth.

Whoever becomes the Chief Minister of Kerala would have the job cut out for him rather uncomfortably.

The promises look primroses for the electorate, but the implementation would be next to impossible.

The bipolar polity, shared by the Congress-led UDF and the CPM-led LDF, does not allow experimentation of ideas beyond the time-tested ones.

Kerala's literacy supremacy does not mean, the polity is willing to explore further.
The CPM is still in the time-warp of ideology. Some sort of a socialist messiah descending on the people from its reign is being drilled into the minds of the closed minds of the party cadre.When it comes to genuine governance, things fall apart.This is wide off the mark of the standards prevailing in West Bengal.

During the last LDF regime in Kerala, particularly during the last phase of it, the coffers were empty. Governmental payments were limited to issue of cheques which used to bounce.

The call being made by the Opposition to the Government to do everything for the people boomerangs on it when it corners power.There should be contribution of all sorts from various institutions and agencies, within and outside, for the overall development of the State.

The UDF was relying on development by way of foreign collaboration, setting up of units by NRIs, a free-for-all by private educational agencies and the like.

It could be safely said that the financial crunch had ebbed during the UDF rule.
The people had wanted a total change when they handed down a thumping majority, resulting in the formation of the A K Antony Government.

The adversaries in his own party would not allow him to continue. Also, Antony had his own rigidities about many things.

K.Karunakaran's contribution was phenomenal in ousting Antony. It would have been a safe bet for the UDF, had the package with K.Muraleedharan being the KPCC president and Antony as the Chief Minister worked out.

No one can persuade closed minds to come to realities. The more the UDF gave, the more Karunakaran wanted to corner. There was no end to hunger for power.

The latest Oommen Chandy Government was doing its best to boost the sullied image of the UDF Government.

The UDF could not project a better Chief Minister than Oommen Chandy.With him in the saddle, would its performance be that bad as has been projected in surveys ?

The Dubai company is not sure whether the UDF would win the present Assembly elections in Kerala.That is why it wants the dust to settle down before proceeding with signing an agreement at once to set up the Smart City project in Kochi.

The UDF was quick to cash in on the situation, which was in a state of flux, and announce that it would not sign the agreement, but leave the deal to be sealed by the next government.

For both the UDF and the LDF, the postponement of the deal would be good.Whichever government comes to power would want its stamp felt in the Smart City project.

The talk of attracting jobs through the Smart City project has been assuming exaggerating proportions.

A few thousand jobs for the State having three crore population is not that sizeable. The government, being a monolith,should creat conducive environment for generation of jobs. The unemployed youth are frustrated. They should get gainful employment.

In Kerala, real estate works are going on on a faster pace. Construction related works are aplenty, but Kerala youth want white collar jobs. And so, Tamil Nadu lads pervade Kerala landscape to snatch the share of construction-connected works.

It is a mystery why Tamil Nadu, which is a larger State than Kerala, can afford to have a labour force willing to work for lesser daily weages.

In Kerala, a lot of money comes from people working abroad, particularly America, Great Britain, the Gulf countries and so on.

The money thus received finds dissemination in various fields. The services sector is also expanding. This interlinking helps the growth potential.

The government has the onerous duty to facilitate job generation.

It should be considered whether units can be set up by intending entrepreneurs with least disturbance. Why so many hurdles have to be passed by them for launching a unit ?

It looks the UPA leaders have bartered Kerala's assembly prospects to the CPM-led LDF for continued support for the government at the Centre led by the Congress.

Taking a broadside view of the utterances of Congress president Sonia Gandhi and Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh during their first-phase election campaign in Kerala, one can see the hidden intention from their views.

They cannot squarely blame the CPM for anything. If they go too far, the CPM, which does not regard much about finesse, might withdraw support for Manmohan Singh.

The BJP is only too keen to see the UPA Government shattered.

Things are not hunky dory. The LDF which might sweep a landslide would not be able to do much more than the UDF Government.

But there would be a change, for the better or for the worse the people would have to wait for some time.

V S Achuthanandan is the bete noire of many within his own Communist party as well as his rival political permutations and combinations because of his unbending nature.

He is not one who would swim with the current, when many leaders are more than willing to cowtow to various interests.

If the alternate tenure of governments being formed at the Kerala State level after every elections to the Assembly by Congress-led and Communists-led combinations does not break its jinx this time, the most probable Chief Minister would be Achuthanandan.

But his adversaries within the party, it appears, would see to it that he would not become the chief executive of the State. Either he would not win the elections, 0r his chances would be torpedoed after the elections.

But it would not be easy to throw him out, if he becomes an MLA and the Left Democratic Front gets the majority.
Therefore, the worst scenario is that his chances would be nipped in the bud by his own partymen during the elections.

But politics being the arena of occurrences of the most improbable, perhaps the State would have VS, as he is fondly addressed, as the Chief Minister.

But what about the jinx acting against minorities and backward classes nominees continuing Chief Minister ?
Even if he becomes the CM, what is the guarantee that he would complete the term ?

The Ugly Being working against these categories would play every card to topple them.
Other names like Oommen Chandy of the Congress-led front and Paloli Mohamedkutty of the Communists-led front also would not have the going smooth.

Anyway, the probables being bandied about by various fronts are from these sections.

Let us see whether some rank outsider of the Upper Castes would find himself atop the caret mark among the present list of probables.

Alas the electoral politics in Kerala has turned bloody, with the murder of a Communist leader in Thrissur district. Chavakkad municipal chairman K P Valsalan was done to death the other day in Chavakkad, which is predominantly a Muslim area. Another Communist activist A H Akbar was injured seriously.

Murder politics has always offered a ricocheting effect. Hate politics will have no end. Those who undertake gory job for any party fail to understand that the leaders for whom they work always get the benefit and the ghost killers face the music from the authorities and the people.

Leaders do not think for a moment that shedding blood for political gains would strike them back at one time or the other. It works like the boomerang.

A dawn-to-dusk hartal is going on in Thrissur district. Follow-up cruelty, by way of revenge, need only to be expected. Communists are not known to sit idle in such situations.

In a democratic polity, violence has no place and it is not going to benefit the people, who have to bear the brunt from a handful of perverts. Swami Jayendra Saraswathi, an accused in the Sankararaman murder case, is the copybook example for thoughtless acts coming back on the perpetrator.

Conflicts would not solve the problems of anyone.

The Gospel of Judas Iscariot is getting a lot of attention as it contradicts the hitherto-held view that the betrayer-apostle was eternally condemned.
People like to listen to views that are entirely opposite to the normal. It is on this foundation that the entire journalism has been built. To be a successful mouthpiece, be it print, audio or visiual, the fare should be something different.
That is why journos gatecrash into unwelcome premises. To get something different.

This Judas Iscariot stuff is definitely something different. And so attention is drawn to it. And there are intellectuals who draw sustenance from whatever is far from ordinary.

The different stuff about Jesus has been much, like Mary Magdalene has been his wife, He had a pact with Pilate who rescued him and sheltered him in Kashmir in India.

Coming to Judas Iscariot, was he the only apostle who had forsaken Jesus Christ? Everyone had left him when Jesus was on the Cross at Calvary.

But all had the occasion to repent, except Judas Iscariot. The betrayer was so wounded mentally that he took his own life, before he could meet the risen Jesus. The benevolent Jesus, whose mission was to save the whole mankind, would definitely have forgiven Judas Iscariot. It can be safely believed that Judas Iscariot chose hell for himself.

Through ages, there have been attempts to suppress the God-nature of Jesus. The High Priests themselves had bribed the soldiers who were witness to nature's fury when Jesus gave over his soul at Calvary, to suppress it.

The soldiers were told to spread the rumour that the followers of Jesus had stolen his body.

Truth, justice, fairplay, good behaviour are all being denounced by those who cannot stand by these principles.

Deaths are causing consternation in the politicalscape, the latest being the demise of grand old Congressman of West Bengal, A B A Ghani Khan Chaudhuri.

The other day Karnataka's film icon Rajkumar passed away, leaving a trail of devastation and vandalism by his so-called fans. Rajkumar was also in the limelight as he was abducted by the-then forest brigand Veerappan. That time Rajkumar was lucky to have walked off to freedom at the intervention of various agencies. Ransom money also would have been paid, although official version denied such payment.

What remains ununderstandable is the veneration of his fans the way they did.Having a last glimpse of the mortal remains is a worthy gesture. Running after the cortege, causing hurt to others, setting fire to vehicles,throwing stones all speak of the violent nature of worship. There should be no place for such response in a civil society.

In Kerala, Eachara Warrier breathed his last,without knowing what had happened to his son Rajan who was done to death in police custody. Alas, the body of the young man was not given over to the father. No one knows what happened to the body.

Warrier thought the Communists were body and soul with his pleas. But when it came to political alignments, the very Communists colluded with DIC(K) of K Karunakaran, who was the Home Minister when Rajan was taken into custody alleging Naxal connections.Lately, the Communists discarded Karunakaran.

Warrier's death will have some political fall-out.

Death is not the end of everything. It engenders the beginning of fall-outs.

The cruellest comment from former Chief Minister K.Karunakaran as if he does not know T V Eachara Warrier will not be taken kindly by any human being.

Eachara Warrier who died the other day was the father of P Rajan, an engineering student who was taken into custody by the police and "killed" during the Emergency days.

Karunakaran was the Home Minister in Kerala during the time, responsible for police affairs. Let no one justify Rajan, who may or may not have been involved in nefarious Naxal activities. But no one has the right to do away with another human being.

In this case, Eachara Warrier was not given even the body of Rajan. There is no official finding as to what was done with the mortal remains of Rajan.

Events might have overtaken the situation. But no one has the right to ridicule Eachara Warrier, let alone after his death.

Actually, what is happening to Karunakaran who was once the venerable leader of the masses? Times have overtaken old ways. Karunakaran should not cling on to the old idea: "after me the deluge".

The world will go on. He is only exposing himself as being senile. His family members should bridle him. Old people should be given lovingkindness and cajoled to rest and relax.

Media is also doing great harm to Karunakaran by projecting his undesirable comments about anything and everything.Its predicament is the fear of the rival organisations projecting Karunkaran's outbursts.

He has done much harm to his son, K.Muraleedharan who was once made the State chief of the Congress Party as an appeasement measure, but had to give it up because of the hunger for more spoils by the father.Muraleedharan was doing the job rather well.

Karunakaran should be given much-required rest and relaxation.

Now he is saying he would decide about DIC(K), his party,after the elections as to what to do regarding government formation, after allying itself with the Congress-led UDF (United D emocratic front).

Things are not hunky dory with the Communists-led LDF (Left Democratic Front) either. The CPM ( Communist Party Maxist), bedevilled by unprecedented faction tactics had wanted to show the door to its veteran leader V S Achuthanandan.

A large chunk of the rank and file had to take to the streets to enable VS, as fondly addressed by the people, to get a ticket for Assembly election.

After much heat and fury, he has a ticket. But the enemies within the party might act against him at the hustings, so that there may not be much difficulty in enthroning another leader as the Chief Minister, if the LDF secures a majority.In the last-but-one elections, he was meted out the same fate.

In Kerala, only upper castes can become and continue as regular Chief Ministers, if the experience hitherto is reckoned. Some rank outsider, ie one who may not even be contesting the elections now, would ultimately steal the show.

If the UDf comes back to power, the history of politics of alternating LDF and UDF in government formation in Kerala, would be re-written.

Kerala's politics is getting murkier and murkier, with the Assembly polls scheduled to be held in three phases.The results could be known by May 11.

The main fronts, one led by Congress Party and the other by the Communists, have been taking five-year turns without fail to rule over the three-crore people.

Senility and vulnerability of K.Karunakaran is coming to the fore. He was phenomenal in breaking away from the Congress Party, and forming his own DIC- Democratic Indira Congress( Karunakaran).

In fact, Congress Party has been benevolent on him and his family.His son was made KPCC (Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee) president .And the chap was doing the job fine. Then Karunakaran could not remain idle. Give him the maximum, he would again demand a pound of flesh. This has let him go to the dogs.

The Congress Party has now reinstated him byhaving electoral adjustments with his party.Still he is grumbling.

The present elections would witness unprecedented interplay of politics. No one can predict the results, though traditional political currents should see the Communists coming back to power.

( The writer who does freelance content writing-offshore work- can be contacted at : ojgeorge@gmail.com)