Heady days of newspapers over?

By O J George

Today I was flabbergasted to read in Malayala Manorama that its “Sree”, a free booklet given out on Sundays, was extinct on account of financial crisis.Moreover, the number of pages of the main paper has come down. It has no display advertisements on page one. Many of the ads inside are those of Government-related institutions and projects. Recession is not on the door-step, but it has taken over the parlour.

If the condition of Malayala Manorama, the vanguard daily publication in Kerala, is precarious, what would be the fate of others?

Others might be worse than this powerful daily. I know an English daily which has a lot of properties, outwardly looking. But the loans taken from financial institutions for constructing buildings and acquiring assets are all overdue for repayment. The company cannot even pay up the interest on all the loans. Even this firm projects assets worth crores of rupees. But God knows when it would tumble like a pack of cards. Meanwhile, it has been taking fixed deposits from readers. The depositors might have fallen into a trap, for God knows whether the money would be paid back or not.

Print media institutions are essentially flabby. The top-heavy newspapers have to pay hefty salary to a large number of incumbents, the total amount of which would be more than the total pay cheque of the majority of other staff members. But in the name of recession and chopping, the lower rungs would suffer even as the upper echelons manage to flourish. Ultimately, this would ruin the very institutions.

Strategies will have to be fine-tuned to retain the medium. Not that newspapers will vanish, but the very concept of broad-sheets call for urgent revamp that will cut costs.

VS has independent line

O J George

Kottayam: Chief Minister V.S.Achuthanandan is not prepared to give up his fight against corruption, in spite of the strong forces in the politburo and state party leadership riling him.

Today he made it clear in Delhi as he was leaving for Kerala that he would continue his war on corruption. Of course, he cited instances of Edamalayar, palmolein and Brahmapuram in which his foes were different. But inherent in this assertion is his motivation to continue with the fight against corruption in the Lavalin case as well.

The party, on its part, as explained by none other than general secretary Prakash Karat, is that there is not an iota of evidence against Pinaryi Vijayan. The most crucial point was that the project for Panniar, Chenkulam and Pallivasal renovation was given to Lavalin as decided by various bodies of the party. Now Pinarayi is out of the pictusre, the party has stepped in.

Now, what is the meaning of V.S.Achuthanandan’s determination to continue to fight against corruption? He will have to fight against the present dispensation of the party which is covering up the alleged corruption.

Kerala is set for further encounters, people have taken sides, and everyone is biding for time. VS would not get support from the present leadership in Delhi. There is no prospect of the leadership changing.

For VS, it would be suicidal politically if he goes back on his pronounced policies.

The grit and determination with which VS has been taking up causes, one can expect carefully crafted follow-up measures.

Would PB cave in or VS part ways?

Delhi : the crucial politburo meeting commenced at AKG Bhavan, Delhi, this morning, which is slated to discuss the Lavalin issue.

Any decision by the politburo could affect CPM state secretary Pinarayi Vijayan and Chief Minister V.S.Achuthanandan.

The politburo has already taken the strong stand that the CBI case against Pinarayi Vijayan is politically motivated.

Now that Chief Minister V S Achuthanandan is not amenable to give in to pressures being exerted by the politburo, and the PB not inclined to accede to VS’ wishes, things may go out of control today.

Or else VS will have to meekly abide by the diktat of the PB, led by general secretary Prakash Karat.

VS should surrender before the party, otherwise the PB should take disciplinary action against him, according to the Kerala State leadership of the party.

In any case, if Pinarayi Vijayan is to be temporarily demit office, simultaneously VS should also step down.

That things are coming to a head is indicated by VS calling on West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadev Bhattacharjee and WB state secretary Biman Bose at Bengal Bhavan this morning.

VS had arrived at AKG Bhavan at 9.30 am and met Prakash Karat. Without much delay he left AKG Bhavan and drove to the Bengal Bhavan to meet the Bengal leaders.

He also called on Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar before making himself available for the full PB meeting.

Kerala’s Home Minister Kodiyeri Balakrishnan and Pinarayi Vijayan drove straight to the AKG Bhavan from the airport to attend the PB meeting.

After VS had publicly stated that he was taking an independent stand in the Lavalin issue and that he would not take part in the Nava Kerala Yatra led by Pinarayi Vijayan, it is certain that the central leadership would be hard-pressed to take action against him.

But any action against him this time, while appeasing the Pinarayi Vijayan faction would only alienate V S further and no one knows as of now what course of action VS would follow.

Things have gone out of control and meek action by anyone is ruled out this time.

The ways of Communist Party changing

By O.J.George

CPM’s rigidity about divulging details of issues discussed by the party seems to be in for a change. Now even politburo members are speaking out more than they used to earlier.

The rule was that when the majority takes a view, the minority in the committees of the party should toe the line. If they have difference of opinion that should not be talked about in public.

That policy is changing, apparently because those who speak out have their own spheres of influence among the people. Now what Prakash Karat, the national general secretary of the party, says is not the last word.

Karat said the other day that the letters purported to have been written by former PB member E.Balanandan, who died recently, were fabricated. There were no such letters sent to him.

Now Chief Minister V S Achuthanandan has revealed that the letter issue would also form part of the agenda he would be discussing with the politburo on February 14.

Which means Achuthanandan is not prepared to concede the version of Karat.

Not even 48 hours remain for the convening of the full-fledged politburo meeting. Everyone is curious about the outcome of the PB meeting, which could be disastrous for the party if V S Achuthanandan decides to fall apart.

If Karat proceeds according to the already decided path, there would be a vertical split in the party in Kerala. If V S cannot tolerate the line adopted by Karat, which is fully in conformity with the Pinarayi Vijayan faction, the body language of VS as understood as of now suggests that he would part ways.

Maybe some of the politburo members would try to arrive at a settlement. Try hard as they might, it would be difficult to appease Achuthanandan on the issues held dear by him. D-day February 14, political news would come out.

VS Govt is gasping for breath

By O J George

The V S Achuthanandan Government in Kerala is gasping for breath. CPM in the state, instead of supporting its government, is creating hurdles more arduous than the opposition front.

The old war-horse he is, Achuthanandan does not mince words to castigate his opponents within the party.

The state party leaders were hoping that Achuthanandan govt could be given a quiet burial after the Lok Sabha elections, which the LDF is sure to trail the UDF.

But VS would not fall that flat easily, for he has been apprising the politburo about the wrong-doings going on in the party in Kerala. However, the politburo this time has not even cared to provide a leeway to VS, who the PB knows cannot approve of the ways of CPM Kerala secretary Pinarayi Vijayan.

A piquant situation has arisen in Kerala cabinet. The Chief Minister says he will not speak or do anything against the tenets of the Constitution. The CBI has prepared a charge-sheet against CPM state secretary Pinarayi Vijayan in the Lavalin issue. Pinarayi Vijayan, when he was the Power Minister earlier, had allegedly caused a loss of over Rs 380 crore to the exchequer.

The previous UDF govt had entered into a memorandum of understanding with Lavalin for maintenance of Pallivasal, Chengulam and Panniar power stations. But it was during the tenure of Pinarayi that Lavalin was given the work order without inviting tenders. Lavalin was appointed only as the consultancy agency during the UDF, it says. Work was given during LDF govt tenure.


CPM cannot give up Pinarayi. V S cannot tolerate the alleged corruption. There does not seem to be a via media. Any patch-up will only tarnish the image of both groups. It seems VS is on his way out, either on his own volition or on the machinations of his detractors in the party.

CPM in Kerala at the cross-roads

By O.J.George

There can be no love lost between Pinarayi Vijayan group and V S Achuthanandan group in the Communist Party of India (Marxist) in Kerala.

That Chief Minister V.S.Achuthanandan has deliberately chosen to cross swords with the politburo, which had decided to whole-heartedly support the Pinarayi group’s interests in the SNC Lavalin graft issue associated with the CPM state secretary when he was power minister of the state, is proof enough for an impending fight to the finish.

There cannot be a via media. Neither the politburo nor V S Achuthanandan can go back on their stated position. And if they make a patch-up by circumventing hard facts, the party would become ludicrous in the eyes of the people.

Pinarayi group had wanted to put Achuthanandan into a corner. The only option left for him was to opt out of chief ministership, as he was driven to the wall on ideological grounds.

Apparently V S is in no mood to cave in and be a mute witness to the corruption allegations. It was the Comptroller and Auditor-General who had raised the corruption issue. The CBI had completed the investigation as per the periodic directives of the High Court.

In the circumstances, VS could not but act.