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Kerala's commies and their dirty tricks

There has been a lot of breast-beating about General Musharraf's unseating of the elected government in Islamabad. Comrade Raja of the Communist Party of India has been quoted as saying he doesn't know how India can possibly talk to a military dictatorship in Pakistan. How should one classify this -- silliness or cheek?

Raja is old enough to remember India negotiated the Indus Waters Treaty and the Tashkent Agreement with Ayub Khan. Nor did India break off relations after Zia-ul-Haq strung up Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. And surely non-interference in the internal affairs of other nations has been a cornerstone of India's diplomatic plank since the days of Panchsheel?

So much for silly, why do I think it brazen? Well, communists the world over have never been known for their adherence to democratic norms. That was true of the departed Soviet Union and of present-day China. In the spirit of Panchsheel I shall leave those alone, and come to a place somewhat closer home -- my home-state of Kerala.

Here is an interesting statistic: if Bihar recorded the largest number of incidents of violence during the recent general election, which state came second? Believe it or not, Kerala, with a whopping 173 such cases being recorded. The reason, I fear, is the discontent of the people at large -- both with the incompetent Nayanar administration and with Leftist rhetoric.

In 1996, the United Democratic Front -- the Congress-led alliance -- polled 1,10,994 votes more than the Left. In 1998, the lead was 2,19,949. And this year, the lead was 5,06,196. Ok, half a million may not sound like much, but Kerala has always been special that way. Elections are routinely won and lost by one per cent or less.

And the margins might have been greater had the polls been fair. Take a look at the polling percentages in five booths in the Kasargode Lok Sabha constituency -- 98.05 per cent in booth 126, 98 per cent in booth 165, 97.8 per cent in booth 21, 97 per cent in booth 152, and 95.8 per cent in booth 182! In fact, as many as 243 booths spread over the Kasargode and Kannur Lok Sabha seats recorded poll percentages in the vicinity of 90 per cent.

I should add that such numbers are considered suspicious. The rule of the thumb, acknowledged as fair by most political parties, is that between 65 per cent and 70 per cent is about as high as it gets. So how did Kasargode and Kannur come up with such extraordinary figures?

Well, the full bag of dirty tricks was on display in Kasargode and Kannur. The impersonation of pro-UDF voters. Casting votes in the name of dead or absent voters. Enrolment of pro-Left Front voters in more than one place. And, if all else failed, the intimidation of workers and poll-agents affiliated to the UDF and the BJP.

All these tactics were employed to ensure victories for the Left. Quite effectively -- in 49 booths in Kasargode there wasn't a single agent from the UDF or the BJP because they were just too terrified. In 15 booths UDF and BJP representatives who did turn up were summarily pushed out. And it was the same story in Kannur too.

Where were the guardians of law and order? The police and the district administration in these constituencies had previously classified some booths as either ''sensitive'' or ''hyper-sensitive.'' Sadly, only the routine complement was present on polling day -- a single uniformed policeman accompanied by a special police officer. This when the Election Commission had directed the local authorities to take precautionary measures!

In all honesty, I cannot blame the constables for just standing by -- how could two men stand up to gangs of eight or ten? But it is another matter altogether if the police didn't just stand aside, but actually took direction from senior members of the Communist Party of India-Marxist...

It has been alleged that the police's wireless network was used to contact V S Achuthanandan, the convenor of the Left Front. It appears a message was sent at least thrice that the circle inspector of Pulinkunnu police station was to contact Achuthanandan. Any guesses why?

Poll-time violence in Bihar is a media staple. But shouldn't we also look at the Left Front's unique take on democracy? One television channel carried a story on malpractices in West Bengal, but the story is dead; would the media have been equally blasé had this happened in Lucknow or Gandhinagar? As for the rigging in Kerala, well, that seems to have been ignored altogether.

Weep and wail about events in Pakistan by all means. But remember that concern for democracy should, like charity, begin at home.

T V R Shenoy