വൈറ്റ് ടീഷർട്ട് പ്രസ്ഥാനം

#വൈറ്റ് #ടീഷർട്ട് #പ്രസ്ഥാനം

രണ്ടുവർഷം മുമ്പ് ആരംഭിച്ച രാഹുൽ ഗാന്ധിയുടെ വൈറ്റ് ടി-ഷർട്ട് പ്രസ്ഥാനം, പ്രഖ്യാപിച്ച നാൾ മുതൽ തന്നെ ഒരു “വൈറ്റ് വൈരുദ്ധ്യം” ആയി മാറിയിരുന്നു. 41,000 രൂപ വിലയുള്ള ബർബെറി ടി-ഷർട്ട് ധരിച്ച് ഇന്ത്യയുടെ തെക്കും വടക്കും കിഴക്കും പടിഞ്ഞാറും  ജോഡോ യാത്ര നടത്തി സാമ്പത്തിക അസമത്വമാണ് രാജ്യത്തിന്റെ ഏറ്റവും വലിയ പ്രശ്‌നമെന്ന് പ്രഖ്യാപിക്കുമ്പോൾ, ആ വാചകത്തിനൊപ്പം ഒരു ചെറു ചിരി സ്വാഭാവികമായി വിടർന്നിരുന്നു.

ഒരു ശരാശരി സർക്കാർ ജീവനക്കാരന്റെ മാസശമ്പളത്തേക്കാൾ വിലയുള്ള വസ്ത്രം ധരിച്ച് അസമത്വത്തിനെതിരെ പോരാടുന്ന നേതാവിൻ്റെ പ്രകടനം ഗംഭീരമെന്നു പലരും വാഴ്ത്തി, പക്ഷേ പ്രസ്ഥാനം ക്ലച്ച് പിടിക്കാതെ പോയി. ആഗോള അസ്ഥിരതയ്ക്ക് ധനസഹായം ചെയ്യുന്ന കോടീശ്വരന്മാരുടെ കൂട്ടുകാരനായി നിന്ന് അഹിംസയും ഐക്യവും ഉപദേശിക്കുമ്പോൾ, സന്ദേശത്തേക്കാൾ ശ്രദ്ധ പിടിച്ചെടുത്തത് ടാഗിൽ തൂങ്ങിയിരുന്ന ബ്രാൻഡ് നാമം തന്നെയായിരുന്നു.

സാമ്പത്തിക അസമത്വം യഥാർത്ഥ വില്ലനാണെങ്കിൽ, എന്തുകൊണ്ടാണ് ആ വില്ലനെ നേരിടാൻ കുറച്ചുപേർക്കു മാത്രം വാങ്ങാൻ കഴിയുന്ന ടി-ഷർട്ട് യൂണിഫോമായി തെരഞ്ഞെടുത്തതെന്ന് ഇന്നും അജ്ഞാതമാണ്. കോൺഗ്രസ് പ്രസ്ഥാനത്തിന്റെ മുഖ്യമന്ത്രി കാൻഡിഡേറ്റായി കേരളത്തിൽ കേൾക്കുന്ന കെ.സി. വേണുഗോപാൽ പോലും ആ ടി-ഷർട്ട് ധരിച്ച് പ്രത്യക്ഷപ്പെടാത്തത് ഈ “വൈറ്റ് വിപ്ലവത്തിന്റെ” നിറം അല്പം മങ്ങിയതാക്കി. 

സാധാരണക്കാരെ വിലകുറഞ്ഞ വസ്ത്രങ്ങളിൽ മാർച്ച് ചെയ്യാൻ വിടാതെ, എല്ലാവർക്കും ബർബെറി ടി-ഷർട്ട് ഏർപ്പാടാക്കിയിരുന്നെങ്കിൽ പ്രസ്ഥാനത്തിന് കുറഞ്ഞത് ഫാഷൻ ലോകത്തെങ്കിലും വലിയ റീച്ച് കിട്ടിയേനേ. പക്ഷേ രാഹുലിന് വിശ്വാസമുള്ളത് കെ.സി. വേണുഗോപാൽ എന്ന ഒരാൾ മാത്രമാണെങ്കിൽ, അദ്ദേഹത്തിന്റെ ടി-ഷർട്ട് പ്രസ്ഥാനവും വേണുഗോപാലിന്റെ മുഖ്യമന്ത്രി കസേരയും ഒരേപോലെ ആവിയായി പോകാനാണ് സാധ്യത 

വലിയ പ്രതീക്ഷയുമായി നടന്നിരുന്ന വി ഡി സതീശൻ, രമേശ് ചെന്നിത്തല, കെ സുധാകരൻ, സണ്ണി ജോസഫ്, ശശി തരൂർ എന്നിവയുടെ കാര്യമാണ് കഷ്ടം.  ഇവരെല്ലാം മുന്നിലൂടെ തലങ്ങും വിലങ്ങും ജാഡോ കളിച്ചിട്ടു പോലും ആലുവ മണപ്പുറത്ത് കണ്ട പരിചയം പോലും കഴിഞ്ഞ ഒരു യോഗത്തിൽ രാഹുൽ ഗാന്ധി കാണിച്ചില്ല. തദ്ദേശ തെരഞ്ഞെടുപ്പിൽ കിട്ടിയ കുതിപ്പ് കേരളത്തിലെ കോൺഗ്രസ് നേതാക്കളോടുള്ള ടി-ഷർട്ട് പ്രസ്ഥാന നായകൻ്റെ പെരുമാറ്റത്തിൽ അപ്രത്യക്ഷമാകുമോയെന്നു സംശയിക്കേണ്ടിയിരിക്കുന്നു.

— കെ. എ. സോളമൻ

Conflicting interests united

#Conflicting interests united

The sudden friendliness between the NSS and SNDP, especially in an election year, shows an attempt to turn Kerala’s complex society into simple vote calculations based on community. Such temporary alliances, formed for political convenience rather than real agreement, have failed in the past because they underestimate the political awareness of Kerala’s voters. 

The basic differences between the two groups cannot be ignored: most Nairs fall under the general category, while Ezhavas benefit from OBC reservation. These conflicting interests cannot be covered up with public gestures and vague talk of “shared goals”. The earlier Vellappally–Sukumaran Nair experiment clearly proved this. Repeating the same exercise today will only increase public distrust and encourage identity-based politics, weakening Kerala’s tradition of reform-oriented and issue-based political thinking.

More seriously, these moves add to the growing problem of communal polarisation in the State. Communities are being pushed into vote-bank politics in the name of countering other groups. The claim that Muslims support both the UDF and LDF, whether true or exaggerated, is being used to justify a counter-mobilisation among Hindu caste organisations. This benefits political leaders and power brokers, not ordinary people. 

Opposition leader V.D. Satheesan appears to understand this danger, but the Congress leadership’s hesitation to openly support him suggests a double standard. Opposing communalism in words while quietly adjusting to it is a bad  practice. Kerala does not need new caste alliances or communal equations. What it needs is political courage to uphold constitutional values, pursue real social justice beyond vote banks, and reject identity politics that divide society for short-term electoral gains.

- K A Solaman

Need of the time

#Need of theTime

Extremist tendencies that misinterpret Islam and use it for political gain and power are a serious threat to humanity. The world's nations must work together to stop the spread of such ideas. 

Violent propaganda spread through educational institutions, religious organizations, and social media must be controlled through strong legal measures, and educational programs that guide the youth towards critical thinking and peaceful religious consciousness must be strengthened. 

Instead of vain talk such as secularism, raising awareness throughout society by supporting leaders and institutions that promote the true values ​​of religion such as tolerance, humanity, and peace will help in uprooting terrorism. 

In this context, the UAE's action to deny scholarships to students studying there, out of concern about the influence of terrorism in British universities, is commendable and far-sighted. The responsibility to protect its own students from the spread of dangerous ideas is a fundamental duty of a state, and that is what the UAE has done here. 

 If other Muslim countries adopt such strict stances, there will be a strong backlash against acts of terrorism committed in the name of religion. For the sake of world peace and human security, the critical need of the present era is to reject terrorism in all its forms and to control it through legal and educational measures.

-K. A. Solaman

Athijeevithamar is the #richness of this #house.

#Athijeevithamar is the #richness of this #house.

Now Kerala politics is shifting to a serial format: Pinarayi-1, Pinarayi-2, Pinarayi-3, and in parallel with it, Athijeevitha-1 (Victim-1), Athijeevitha-2, Athijeevitha-3. Seasons change, characters change, but the plot twist never ends. 

The most famous of these is the new hit dialogue "Love you to the moon and back".

Although Athijeevitha-1 borrowed it from the 1994 children's book "Guess How Much I Love You", this sentence, which was even printed on the Chief Minister's teacup, may now become a political poem on par with the Pinarayi-1 slogan "LDF will come, everything will be fine". 

The immeasurable love to the moon and back - is now evolving into a symbol of governance and power. The beauty of this phrase lies in its simplicity. The feeling of covering a distance of 3,84,400 kilometers forward and the same distance back in a single breath. A firm declaration that love is not a one-way street, but a round trip.

Usually, it is used between a mother and her child, or between a lover and her lover. But in Kerala, it has found a new use - politics or the succession of rulers. A strange combination of devotion and security. The confidence that "everything will be fine" no matter how confusing things get, a way of expressing it with the moon as a witness.

When we remember that the young MLA went to look for the survivors again and again without knowing this, the eyes of the ordinary Malayali who loves the channel get filled with tears. Because one day, if all the survivors-1, 2, and 3 come home looking for the MLA, it will not be a "round trip" but a "Kattappoka". Let's hope that such a season does not come.  Otherwise, the next slogan might be: "Love you to the moon, but please don’t come back!" 

- K. A. Solaman

Political reality in Kerala

#Political #Reality in Kerala.

Dissatisfaction with the Pinarayi Vijayan-led government has entered its final phase. The trend of leaders leaving the very base of the CPI(M) and the Left Front is evident. The arrogance, organizational neglect and lack of democratic discussions of the administration are evident. It is no coincidence that leaders like S. Rajendran are openly distancing themselves from Idukki and that there is a growing loss of trust even in the traditional strongholds of the Left.

The random campaigning by some low-level media outlets like Reporter Channel for the slogan of Pinarayi 3.0 is also becoming counterproductive; the government does not realize that the people are thinking against what such government-sponsored media outlets are saying.

When power is centralized and criticism is suppressed, the ground under the feet of the Left is being eroded.  People are looking with disgust at the contradictory materialistic expressions of people like M. V. Govindan and P. Rajiv, as if to hide the government's failure. They themselves are not sure what they are saying.

At this time, the BJP is entering the political vacuum created by Pinarayi's misrule. The reaction to the policies of the Narendra Modi government, which prioritizes development and governability, is also growing in Kerala. It is natural that many leaders are looking for another way due to the neglect and ideological conflicts within the Left. Names like S. Rajendran, Palode Santosh, Reji Lukose, R. Sreelekha, Gopi are not isolated incidents; they are indications of a major political restructuring. The Left's paid political observer, Haskar, who justifies any misdeed, is in a bind. The sons of prominent Congress leaders K. Karunakarun and A. K. Antony have joined the BJP long ago.

 As public discontent with both fronts grows, the possibility of the BJP coming to power as a third force becomes a reality. With the Left losing its chance for self-correction, a majority in Kerala believe that a change of power will be a political reality in the near future rather than a possibility.

- K. A. Solaman

New legal strategy

#New #legal strategy

When we see the confidence of those who provide legal advice to the government, we wonder if our legal system is still only on books. If the verdict is not acceptable, cast doubt on the judge herself, declare the court biased, and then push it all to the public under the label of 'legal advice': If this is the new legal strategy, the appellate courts could have been closed and Facebook posts would have been enough.

What legal sense is there in preparing a public charge sheet against the judge who pronounced the verdict in the actress assault case, even though it is said that there is serious evidence, avoiding the appeal, which is the only legal avenue to examine it? If it is the court's fault that the evidence was rejected, then it should be proven within the court, not in channels and on the streets.

Forgetting the fact that the Supreme Court has already taken a clear stand on the memory card issue, raising the same card again as a political slogan is not a legal battle, but a mockery of the law.  It would be good to look back at the history of how many cases the government has lost so far on the basis of such ‘legal advice’

There are only three months left before this govt. leave power. So why not stop the practice of challenging the legal system? Otherwise, the government will end up answering not to the courts but to the people themselves; in the face of court indifference and widespread ridicule.

- K. A. Solaman

Man-made disaster

#Man-made #Disaster

Kerala is staring at a man-made public health disaster, and the state government’s evasive posture on rabies control is nothing short of administrative apathy. The surge in dog bites and rabies deaths is not an unavoidable phenomenon but the direct outcome of policy paralysis.

Animal Birth Control (ABC), repeatedly showcased as a magic solution, has demonstrably failed on the ground, yet the government clings to it as a convenient alibi for inaction. Local bodies pleading lack of funds is an insult to public intelligence. Kerala’s decentralised system is flush with resources when it comes to festivals, publicity, and political pet projects. 

When human lives are at stake, suddenly the exchequer runs dry. The Human Rights Commission’s intervention itself is a damning indictment of the government’s non-cooperation and inability to prioritise citizens’ right to life over ideological posturing.

The hypocrisy becomes starker when so-called animal welfare arguments are selectively weaponised. Moral outrage over stray dogs rings hollow in a state where thousands of buffaloes, pigs, chicks, and ducks are slaughtered daily without triggering similar activism. Public health cannot be held hostage to selective compassion or noisy pressure groups.

 Equally disturbing are persistent allegations of vested interests thriving on the endless cycle of bites, vaccines, and panic, turning human suffering into a lucrative marketplace. Against this backdrop, the government’s claim that it is “difficult to find land” for shelters is laughable. Land is readily found for commercial projects, party offices, and tourism ventures, but mysteriously vanishes when it comes to saving lives. 

This is not a logistical problem; it is a crisis of political will. Kerala urgently needs decisive action viz. scientific population control, effective sheltering, strict accountability, and above all, a government that stops dodging responsibility while rabies spreads unchecked.

-K A Solaman

Venezuela Protest Exercises

#Venezuela #Protest #Exercises

The pro-Venezuelan protests seen in Kerala are scenes that even cross the boundaries of political drama. While in many parts of the world, the Venezuelan people themselves are taking to the streets against the dictatorial regime of Nicolas Maduro, here some are trying to whitewash the communist regime by raising the outdated slogan of “American occupation”. 

It is not America that has pushed a country that used to be overflowing with oil wealth into famine and currency depreciation, but it is the failure of Maduro’s communist regime. These comrades, who are not ready to accept the fact that a box full of currency is needed to buy a chicken egg, are more enslaved to ideology than to reality. The cry of “democracy is in danger” when the police stopped the CPI(M) protest in Bengaluru, and the silence when they are allowed to do whatever they want in Kerala is evidence of double standards.

 In fact, these Venezuela protests are a smokescreen to hide the corruption and failures of governance that are currently being discussed in Kerala. It is not only the need of America to end the drug trade that is competing with countries like Colombia and Mexico and the regime that is starving the people; it is the moral obligation of the world community. It is completely irresponsible to condemn such an act and to take to the streets here in support of a defeated communist regime. 

Like the question of where the comrade' "karanbhoot" will go for treatment, what is the ethical basis for these protests remains an unanswered question. Such unnecessary protests to divert people's attention from the real problems in Kerala deserve strong condemnation. 

- K A Solaman

Development magic

#DevelopmentMagic

When we hear the news that 22,469 enterprises and half a million jobs have been created in the last nine months, we might think that Kerala has suddenly become a mini Silicon Valley. But if one looks into the details of the figures, he will see that most of the start-ups there are thattukadas, papada stalls, dosamav shops, fish stalls, and pancharotikkal centers. When all the shops that open in the morning and close in the evening, and may not be seen tomorrow if the rent increases, are “new enterprises”, it is easy to count the job opportunities. 

If two people work in the shop on the day the shop opens, two jobs; if the shop closes the next day? That does not appear in the figures at all. This is how entrepreneurship sometimes soars in the figures and ends up by the wayside in reality. 

It is no coincidence that such news is repeated more when elections are approaching.  This is the usual practice in the script of development, with project figures on one side and salary hike announcements on the other. The announcement is grand, but the question of where and how the money will be provided is unanswered. Sometimes it seems that the intention is to let the next government, once it assumes power, be burdened by these announcements. It is a kind of political strategy to make promises without the money to implement them and say, “We announced them, they did not implement them.” 

Thus, when the ruling party plays a comedy during the election season by combining figures and announcements, the public is confused whether to applaud or cry

But it is more likely that the people will directly question the truth of the script behind the scenes during the election.

-K. A. Solaman

Belated Realisation

#Belated #realization

The ‘Nava Kerala Study Program’ conducted by the government by sending 85,000 volunteers door to door is just another political exercise to hide the failure of the administration. The fact that those who claim to have created ‘Nava Kerala’ during their nine and a half years in power are once again coming to learn about Nava Kerala exposes the hollowness of that claim. 

The fact that they travelled in a Nava Kerala bus with food and drink, demolished school walls, held meetings, and discussed only with the civic leaders, ignoring the common people, but could not reach any decision is proof of this. It was only after realizing the setback in the local body elections that the realization that ‘the matter will be resolved only if the common people are involved’ came. But that was a very late realization.

The people, who have been suffering from the embezzlement of the Chief Minister and others, mockingly remember the full form  “Mulak Vellam” when they hear the name ‘MV’. Isn’t he the owner of the chili water?  The common people are not mentally retarded because of such hatred.

It is a common swindle that leaves people in two squads in a single panchayat ward. This is a common swindle that has no productivity. The reason why people take this kind of work is because of the belief of a few people that if they do such work, they will get a government job through the back door in a state where PSC is being looked down upon.

While development activities are lying like a broken floating bridge, crores of rupees have been lost in most projects due to the government's incompetence. Before going to the houses to assess the development and declare a New Kerala, the government should first examine how the patience and trust of the people have been broken.

The New Kerala Volunteers should also be warned not to get their heads wet with Chili water

-KA Solaman