Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan predictably weathered a no-confidence vote against his government in the Assembly on Monday.
The Left Democratic Front (LDF) rallied behind Mr. Vijayan. It defeated the no-confidence motion moved by the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) Opposition by 87 votes to 40.
The UDF appeared diminished on the floor of the House after two MLAs aligned to the Jose K. Mani faction of the Kerala Congress (M) stayed away from voting.
The 11-hour marathon debate saw the opposing fronts wrangle bitterly over a range of political hot-potato talking points centred on the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO).
Leader of the Opposition Ramesh Chennithala hovered over the alleged corruption at the CMO. He said a cabal of corrupt bureaucrats and gold smugglers had held sway in the CMO since 2016. They had circumvented the due process of governance to earn kickbacks. At least three Central agencies were at Mr. Vijayan’s doorstep.
He said Mr. Vijayan was at a loss to explain how Swapna Suresh, the second accused in the gold smuggling case, came to represent the CMO in the government’s interactions with the United Arab Emirates.
“The CM has to clarify whether he colluded with Swapna and his former Principal Secretary M. Sivasankar or was beguiled by them. Either way, Mr Vijayan has lost the right to continue in office,” he said.
Mr. Vijayan’s nearly four-hour reply to the debate was simultaneously a progress card on governance and a strong indictment of the Opposition. He said the Congress spoke the language of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Kerala. It was facing an identity crisis.
The BJP had followed the economic agenda set by the Congress. Now, the Congress had welcomed the construction of the Ram temple in Ayodhya by the RSS. The party had paved the way for the rise of revanchist forces. “Are you sure you would be the only Opposition in the Kerala Assembly after the next elections,” Mr. Vijayan asked.
The fissures in the national leadership of the Congress had come to the fore. The party could not elect a president. Mr. Vijayan defended the government on all counts. He said the government would cut red tape and invite investment without losing its commitment to social welfare.
The no-confidence had diminished the UDF and strengthened the LDF. The government had won two by-elections after coming to power. It had wrested the Pala seat from the UDF. The victories testified to the overwhelming public support the government enjoyed, he said.
