Pinarayi Vijayan has deviated widely from his predecessors in not just secular credentials but in many other attributes that make a party communist. While his government has continuously pushed welfare, it has also sustained neoliberal restructuring of government policies, especially public utilities. It has no qualms in pushing for the commodification of natural resources, such as water, or in working with oligarchs like Adani, or in pushing major infrastructure projects that economists argue bring little revenue to the state’s own citizenry. The projects come with a deep ecological and human cost, often devastating pristine hills and forests, and are met with little criticism—the Left itself was once the prime mover of such protests. The government’s track record on workers’ rights has been equally grim. Some of the largest strikes by government workers, such as the 266-day strike by health volunteers, were disparaged and dismissed by the CPI(M) government. Any dissent towards these moves has been met with repression.
Nileena MS (
@nileenams) reports:
caravanmagazine.in/politics/…