I have a Herculean task ahead: Antony

thiruvananthapuram: ``i have a herculean task ahead,'' said a k antony, who was sworn in as kerala's chief minister for the third time in 24 years on thursday. ``the first few months will be hard days,'' he told the times of india. ``but i am sure we will overcome the problems however insurmountable they may seem with cooperation from all sections.'' antony said his united democratic front (udf) government is first saddled with the task of clearing the financial mess left behind by the left democratic front (ldf) government and it may take a while to do.``mess is a mild word,'' he said. ``they have borrowed form each and every source. no other source is left. there is just not enough money to pay the salaries of government employees. and we have to pay heavy interest on the loans. first we have to sort out the finances. then only we can try to improve anything else.'' resisting the temptation to claim that the congress and its allies were overwhelmingly supported by the people, a candid antony said the election outcome was more a vote against the ldf than a vote for the udf. ``there are many factors for our victory but i may tell you frankly that the major factor is that it is a vote against the government. if you ask me what is the single-most important factor it is the anti-government vote.'' did he expect the result? ``i was sure the government was going. when i undertook the 'mochana yatra' (liberation journey) throughout the state i realised that the people wanted the government to go. but many people were not coming out openly because they were terrified of consequences from a vindictive government. but their decision was to change he government.'' all the independent sections, antony said, ``for the first time in my memory in kerala's elections, voted against the government not because they were pro-udf but they became very keen that the government should go because of the misrule.'' the word ``misrule'' is again a mild one, he said. ``they have destroyed the whole state, all departments are messed up with bungling and corruption.'' besides toning up the state's finances _ kerala is currently on an overdraft from the reserve bank _ the antony government is expected to immediately deal with the confusion over the delinking of plus two educational level from colleges and corruption in sanctioning this course to private managements and handing over toddy business left-controlled cooperative societies. while antony gives credit to an anti-communist consolidation for the udf's victory, the left leaders are blaming a ``ganging-up'' of all castes, communities, religions, the liquor mafia, the bjp and even the media for their rout. the left leaders are comparing their defeat to the collapse of the first communist government in the state in the 1960 elections and taking solace from it. after kerala was formed in 1956, the first general election in 1957 saw the advent of what was described as the ``world's first communist government through ballot.'' but this government led by e m s namboodiripad, which launched a series of reformist measures especially in land reforms and education, became the target of a ``vimochana samaram'' (liberation struggle) by influential sections. with administrative machinery breaking down, the government was dismissed and president's rule imposed in 1959. the leftists lost the elections in 1960. but now the outgoing government led by e k nayanar, independent analysts note, far from being reformist, took the state backwards with inefficient, corrupt administration and partisan policies that angered vast sections of people.