Change in govt in Kerala will undo progress, says CPM’s M A Baby

Thiruvananthapuram: CPM general secretary M A Baby on Sunday said those demanding a change of govt in Kerala were seeking to dismantle the gains made by the state over the past decade and push it back to a period marked by corruption and communalism. He was inaugurating the valedictory session of the Fifth Kerala Study Congress.

Baby said present-day Kerala was shaped through decades of struggles and martyrdom and stressed that the responsibility now was to build on that progress. According to him, certain sections were opposed to governance continuity even if it meant reversing the developmental gains achieved by the state. He questioned whether such a stand suggested that a return to corruption and communal divisions was acceptable as long as there was a change in govt.


Referring to concerns raised by some cultural figures about the dangers of continuing the same govt, Baby said despite identifying with the Left, they argued against governance continuity. He asked what it meant to support the Left politically while opposing its continuation in power, and whether such a position implied indifference to the state's progress. He also recalled that previous changes in govt had led to policy shifts that rolled back development initiatives.

He said development required both healthy criticism and cooperation, adding that disagreements were natural but cooperation was essential when needed. Baby pointed out that local bodies governed by UDF had supported the state's extreme poverty eradication programme. He asked whether leader of the opposition V D Satheesan was willing to extend similar cooperation and engage in discussions on development issues.

He urged the opposition not to mislead the public by generalising isolated incidents and to refrain from making baseless allegations. Baby also alleged that a section of the media had turned into factories producing falsehoods.