Neither the ruling United Democratic Front nor the Opposition Left Democratic Front can escape blame for the >violence and chaos within the Kerala Assembly during the presentation of the Budget by Finance Minister K.M. Mani. With the LDF members insisting that they would not allow Mr. Mani, who is under a cloud following allegations that he accepted a bribe from liquor bar operators, to present the Budget, and Chief Minister Oommen Chandy intent on defending the Minister, the stage was set for bedlam. It resulted in the Speaker’s chair being thrown down, and the budget speech ending in just six minutes. Mr. Mani’s continuance in the Cabinet had become politically untenable after a case of corruption was registered against him, but Mr. Chandy could not afford to alienate the Kerala Congress (M) led by him which, with its nine MLAs, was in a position to make or break the government, surviving on the thinnest of majorities as it is. It is unfortunate that he has chosen short-term political interest over principles of ensuring transparency and probity in public life. Mr. Mani has been allowed to wield his political clout to his own advantage. Although there is no legal bar on his continuing as Minister, Mr. Mani should have stepped down as a matter of propriety to allow for an impartial investigation into the charges by the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau, free from any interference.
While the demand for Mr. Mani’s resignation is no doubt politically legitimate, the LDF members led by the Communist Party of India (Marxist) ought not to have escalated their protest to the levels they took it to inside and outside the Assembly. Instead of storming the Speaker’s podium and engaging in scuffles with treasury bench members and watch and ward staff, they ought to have made full use of the Assembly as a forum to debate the bribery charges. The death of an LDF worker outside the Assembly during the protests and clashes with the police, provide further reminders of the need to keep the political discourse within the limits of civility and legislative and parliamentary decorum. The crisis in Kerala will not go away until Mr. Chandy finds a way to keep Mr. Mani out, without having to sacrifice his government. If he is unable to persuade his Minister to see reason, he certainly cannot expect the Opposition to rise above political partisanship. The more Mr. Chandy is seen as ignoring political propriety to cling to power, the more he will be surrendering the political advantage to the LDF. If Mr. Mani is not persuaded to step down quickly, it is Mr. Chandy who will have to pay the price politically.
