Pinarayi will be Kerala CM again, says Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar

The Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] in poll-bound Kerala drew unexpected praise from senior Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar on Sunday, who went to the extent of saying that he was “sure” that Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan “will be the next Chief Minister.”

Mr. Aiyar’s remarks — made in the presence of Mr. Vijayan at the inaugural function of ‘Vision 2031: An International Conference on Development and Democracy’ organised by the State Planning Board here — have come just when the Opposition Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) is preparing for a battle with the ruling CPI(M)-led Left Democratic Front (LDF) in the upcoming State Assembly elections.

Mr. Aiyar was critical of the absence of his own party colleagues at Sunday’s event, saying that he regrets very much their absence on an occasion ‘which is a State occasion and therefore a national occasion.’ (It may be recalled that senior Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala had issued an open letter to economist Amartya Sen, historian Romila Thapar, World Food Prize laureate Sakunthala Thilsted and other prominent invitees urging them not to participate in the three-day conference. Mr. Chennithala’s argument was that the conference was a carefully choreographed effort to gain moral legitimacy for the LDF government).

Speaking on the Panchayati Raj system and its future, Mr. Aiyar described CPI(M)-ruled Kerala as the only State to make progress in the direction of Mahatma Gandhi’s statement that he “shall work for an India in which the poorest will feel it is their country, in the building of which they have an effective voice.”

Law amendments

Mr. Aiyar, a former Union Minister of Panchayati Raj, observed that while Kerala is, in practice, the ‘first State’ in the country in Panchayati Raj, it is only the second best in the law as Karnataka has “outstanding contemporary legislation.” He recalled an earlier request of his that Kerala should strengthen its Panchayati Raj mechanism through law amendments. “So in the presence of the Chief Minister, who I’m sure will be the next Chief Minister, I renew my plea that in order to reinforce Kerala as the best Panchayati Raj State in the country, the State law should be amended on the basis of the experience we have,” Mr. Aiyar said.

He also wanted the Left government to “pick up the baton that the Congress has dropped” and shoulder the responsibility of taking Panchayati Raj forward in the country. “I’m afraid there is no champion for Panchayati Raj left in the country. So therefore, I have to fall at your feet, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, and say, please, sir, pick up the baton that the Congress has dropped.”

Mr. Aiyar’s remarks have also come amidst the ongoing controversy over poet K. Satchidanandan’s remarks about the dangers of continuous rule.