Pinarayi Vijayan's hour !

Santosh Kumar

In these times of corona virus, the southern state of Kerala, the first state to record a positive patient in the country, has stood out; rather it turned out to be the bellwether state in dealing with the deadly virus in the country.
Even as many other states, especially in the northern belt, are

The way the state government tackled the pandemic effectively, perhaps from the bitter experience of taming the Nipah virus outbreak two years ago, the state received accolades not only within the country, but also from outside.

struggling to contain the pandemic in their states, the tiny state beyond the south of Vindhyas is talking boldly on unlocking the restrictions imposed on its populace step by step.
The way the state government tackled the pandemic effectively, perhaps from the bitter experience of taming the Nipah virus outbreak two years ago, the state received accolades not only within the country, but also from outside.

Pinarayi Vijayan As was the case with the agitations against the unpopular, divisive Citizenship Amendment Act imposed upon an unwilling country by the Centre during precorona days, Kerala's Marxist Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had taken the lead in tackling the virus in his state.
Even before the Centre woke up from its self-imposed slumber – petty politics and recapturing power in Madhya Pradesh was more important than tackling the virus for the BJP leadership in Delhi in the early weeks of March – Kerala had declared the virus "a state calamity" and launched an all out war against it.
And again, by the time the Prime Minister -- once the Madhya Pradesh issue was settled in his party's favour -- called for a nationwide 'Janata Curfew' and subsequent 'thali maaro' ( a welcome change from 'goli maaro' propagated by his followers) tamasha supposedly to pay our gratitude to thousands of hapless health workers, Kerala had gone one step ahead and announced Rs 20,000crore financial package to fight corona virus outbreak.

KK Shailaja Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had said loan worth Rs 2,000crore would be made available to needy families through all-women network 'Kudumbshree' during April-May. Kudumbashree, a community organisation of neighbourhood women launched by the then Left Front government in 1998, played a significant role in organising contact tracing of patients and delivering three lakh meals a day through its community kitchens spread across the state. The multi-crore special package included Rs500crore health package, Rs2,000crore loans and free ration. It took another three days for the Prime Minister to announce Rs15,000crore aid to states. Along with ground work, Pinarayi Vijayan seems to have learnt the art of public relations too; making maximum use of the fight against the virus to make political capital out of it. "Exceptional times call for exceptional thoughts," said the Chief Minister on March 25, a day after Kerala went into total lockdown, a day ahead of the rest of the country. He would know, for since March 16, Vijayan has been updating the public on fresh cases in the state and the measures taken by his government in tackling the same; something which the Prime Minister of the country has unashamedly shied away from so far.

Ramesh Chennithala Till Vijayan started his hourlong daily 6pm press meets, it was his unassuming Minister for Health and Social Justice, KK Shailaja who has been holding court, briefing the press every now and then about the virus. It was then that the leader of the Opposition, Ramesh Chennithala of the Congress alleged that the Health Minister has been afflicted by the virus named "Media Mania".
In hindsight, Chennithala may be regretting that statement. Once the opposition raised such an allegation, the Chief Minister saw it as an opportunity to step in and gain politically. For one, Shailaja's popularity chart has been rising, much above the Chief Minister which is not palatable for Pinarayi's autocratic style of functioning.

Vijayan is after all known as the "dhoti clad Modi of Kerala", lording over state CPM and the government. Once Vijayan started his 40 minutes to an hour press conferences, monologue of course, at 6pm daily, Malayalis, hitherto enjoying their daily quota of cheap family melodramas, got hooked on to the Pinarayi show.
Though dead-pan faced, the Chief Minister covered several bases with regard to the pandemic and life in general in the times of the virus. Although Vijayan talked tough often, but most of the time his meticulous detailing of district wise data on samples tested and persons isolated became a hit among the public who were anxious to know about the growth of the virus in the state. In his daily briefings, Vijayan also dwelt on the government's new policies, government decisions and measures initiated.
He constantly reminded his 3.48 core audience not to believe in fake news circulated through social media, especially concerning those lakhs of migrant working class population and NRI Malayalis in the Gulf. The shrewd politician in him made Vijayan rechristen those hordes of migrant workers flocking Kerala form UP, Bihar, Orissa and West Bengal as "Guest workers". This clever usage made people forget overnight how shabbily Kerala used to treat its migrant labourers who were doing the job which no Malayali was willing to do in their home state.
This phrase has also helped Pinarayi government conveniently cover its total failure in compiling a data on migrant labourers and their living conditions in the state, an electoral promise of the CPMled Left Front. One can be certain that once the corona days are

After the CAA and COVID-19, Pinarayi Vijayan and the CPM definitely stand to gain politically. Elections to the Assembly are slated for May 2021 and the sense of unease among the Opposition is all too obvious.

over, the plight of the migrant workers will be forgotten along with their "guest" status and will go back to their "bhai" days in crammed hovels.
Soon Pinarayi's live press conferences have become an addiction among Keralites. A data on the BARC audience measurement of Malayalam channels between March 21 and 27 show that the press briefings have turned into a must for the average Malayali. As per another data put out by a news portal, The News Minute, the TRP for the Chief Minister's press meet across eight Malayalam channels (both urban and rural) on March 23 had 7.25 rating points. It only increased in the following day, rising to 9.05 rating points by March 27. Of the eight popular Malayalam channels, Asianet news had more viewership than others on all days.
According to the portal, anxious Malayalis across the globe are turning into vernacular channels and online streaming to understand where Kerala is placed on the corona virus map. And Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan's press meets are the right location to get the correct information."There has definitely been a spike in views between 6 and 7pm. Ever since the lockdown, there has been a near 300 per cent increase in news viewing as many reality shows, serial and outdoor shows have been suspended. Prior to the lockdown, prime time viewership usually peaked post 7pm.
But now we see a lot of traffic by 6pm itself and then it only keeps increasing until 9 and 10pm.," the TNM has quoted a journalist working for a Malayalam channel.
After the CAA and COVID-19, Pinarayi Vijayan and the CPM definitely stand to gain politically. Elections to the Assembly are slated for May 2021 and the sense of unease among the Opposition is all too obvious.
In its electoral history beginning 1957, Kerala has never elected an incumbent government. And for the last five decades it has been swing-door politics with the Congress-led United Democratic Front and the CPM-led Left Democratic Front alternatively coming to power every five years. The Sabarimala agitation over the entry of women into the Ayyappa temple in 2018 had thrown up BJP as a possible third front.
But once the agitation fizzled out, so is the party and the NDA it had constituted with smaller parties. It has now proved that without RSS, the BJP has no cadre of its own in the state; however hard Amit Shah and Narendra Modi may push for the same. As things stand, there is every likelyhood of this trend being breached.
If the Muslims in the state, almost 23 per cent of its population, had en masse voted for the Congress-led UDF in the last general election – the Left Front could win just one of the 20 Lok Sabha seats from the state – the same community is now solidly behind Vijayan and the LDF thanks to his bold stand on the CAA issue. Muslims now consider Vijayan as their saviour, not the powerful Indian Union Muslim

The Muslim community in the state is now solidly behind Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan , thanks to his bold stand on the CAA issue. Muslims now consider Vijayan, not the powerful Indian Union Muslim League, part of the UDF today, as their saviour.

League which is a part of the UDF. This is the most dramatic shift in the political scenario of the state.
Sensing the mood among its community members, the IUML too is wavering. The party in the state is known for supporting anyone who is willing to share power with it. In the name of betterment of their community, IUML leaders in the past have been holding both the fronts to ransom. It is a wonder that the party has stuck with the UDF for now over four decades.
There may be a shift in this by 2021. Now with the government performance against the corona virus, Pinarayi Vijayan has cemented his popularity among the people of Kerala. Those who are against his autocratic style have been forced to admit his leadership abilities in times of crisis. It may not be a surprise— provided health permits -- Pinarayi Vijayan rewrites Kerala's political history to become Chief Minister for the second consecutive time.
That will make CPM still relevant in national politics, perhaps for another five years.



		EDITOR'S MAIL EDITOR'S COMMENT PANDEMIC EFFECTS FRANKLY SPEAKING NEW PANDEMIC REALPOLITIK PANDEMIC EFFECTS NEW PANDEMIC NEW PANDEMIC SECURITY SCENE KERALA MADHYA PRADESH J&K SCENE PAKISTAN WATCH SIGNS OF THE TIMES WATER CONSERVATION OPEC CHANDIGARH DIARY HITS & MISSES PANDEMIC EMERGENCY MEDIA SPACE ENGINEERING OUR CONSTITUTION ESSENCE OF THE GITA ART OF LIVING Issue:May' 2020 Subscribe Now	KERALA Pinarayi Vijayan's hour ! Santosh Kumar In these times of corona virus, the southern state of Kerala, the first state to record a positive patient in the country, has stood out; rather it turned out to be the bellwether state in dealing with the deadly virus in the country. Even as many other states, especially in the northern belt, are The way the state government tackled the pandemic effectively, perhaps from the bitter experience of taming the Nipah virus outbreak two years ago, the state received accolades not only within the country, but also from outside. struggling to contain the pandemic in their states, the tiny state beyond the south of Vindhyas is talking boldly on unlocking the restrictions imposed on its populace step by step. The way the state government tackled the pandemic effectively, perhaps from the bitter experience of taming the Nipah virus outbreak two years ago, the state received accolades not only within the country, but also from outside. Pinarayi Vijayan As was the case with the agitations against the unpopular, divisive Citizenship Amendment Act imposed upon an unwilling country by the Centre during precorona days, Kerala's Marxist Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had taken the lead in tackling the virus in his state. Even before the Centre woke up from its self-imposed slumber – petty politics and recapturing power in Madhya Pradesh was more important than tackling the virus for the BJP leadership in Delhi in the early weeks of March – Kerala had declared the virus "a state calamity" and launched an all out war against it. And again, by the time the Prime Minister -- once the Madhya Pradesh issue was settled in his party's favour -- called for a nationwide 'Janata Curfew' and subsequent 'thali maaro' ( a welcome change from 'goli maaro' propagated by his followers) tamasha supposedly to pay our gratitude to thousands of hapless health workers, Kerala had gone one step ahead and announced Rs 20,000crore financial package to fight corona virus outbreak. KK Shailaja Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had said loan worth Rs 2,000crore would be made available to needy families through all-women network 'Kudumbshree' during April-May. Kudumbashree, a community organisation of neighbourhood women launched by the then Left Front government in 1998, played a significant role in organising contact tracing of patients and delivering three lakh meals a day through its community kitchens spread across the state. The multi-crore special package included Rs500crore health package, Rs2,000crore loans and free ration. It took another three days for the Prime Minister to announce Rs15,000crore aid to states. Along with ground work, Pinarayi Vijayan seems to have learnt the art of public relations too; making maximum use of the fight against the virus to make political capital out of it. "Exceptional times call for exceptional thoughts," said the Chief Minister on March 25, a day after Kerala went into total lockdown, a day ahead of the rest of the country. He would know, for since March 16, Vijayan has been updating the public on fresh cases in the state and the measures taken by his government in tackling the same; something which the Prime Minister of the country has unashamedly shied away from so far. Ramesh Chennithala Till Vijayan started his hourlong daily 6pm press meets, it was his unassuming Minister for Health and Social Justice, KK Shailaja who has been holding court, briefing the press every now and then about the virus. It was then that the leader of the Opposition, Ramesh Chennithala of the Congress alleged that the Health Minister has been afflicted by the virus named "Media Mania". In hindsight, Chennithala may be regretting that statement. Once the opposition raised such an allegation, the Chief Minister saw it as an opportunity to step in and gain politically. For one, Shailaja's popularity chart has been rising, much above the Chief Minister which is not palatable for Pinarayi's autocratic style of functioning. Vijayan is after all known as the "dhoti clad Modi of Kerala", lording over state CPM and the government. Once Vijayan started his 40 minutes to an hour press conferences, monologue of course, at 6pm daily, Malayalis, hitherto enjoying their daily quota of cheap family melodramas, got hooked on to the Pinarayi show. Vijayan is after all known as the "dhoti clad Modi of Kerala", lording over state CPM and the government. Once Vijayan started his 40 minutes to an hour press conferences, monologue of course, at 6pm daily, Malayalis, hitherto enjoying their daily quota of cheap family melodramas, got hooked on to the Pinarayi show. Though dead-pan faced, the Chief Minister covered several bases with regard to the pandemic and life in general in the times of the virus. Although Vijayan talked tough often, but most of the time his meticulous detailing of district wise data on samples tested and persons isolated became a hit among the public who were anxious to know about the growth of the virus in the state. In his daily briefings, Vijayan also dwelt on the government's new policies, government decisions and measures initiated. He constantly reminded his 3.48 core audience not to believe in fake news circulated through social media, especially concerning those lakhs of migrant working class population and NRI Malayalis in the Gulf. The shrewd politician in him made Vijayan rechristen those hordes of migrant workers flocking Kerala form UP, Bihar, Orissa and West Bengal as "Guest workers". This clever usage made people forget overnight how shabbily Kerala used to treat its migrant labourers who were doing the job which no Malayali was willing to do in their home state. This phrase has also helped Pinarayi government conveniently cover its total failure in compiling a data on migrant labourers and their living conditions in the state, an electoral promise of the CPMled Left Front. One can be certain that once the corona days are After the CAA and COVID-19, Pinarayi Vijayan and the CPM definitely stand to gain politically. Elections to the Assembly are slated for May 2021 and the sense of unease among the Opposition is all too obvious. over, the plight of the migrant workers will be forgotten along with their "guest" status and will go back to their "bhai" days in crammed hovels. Soon Pinarayi's live press conferences have become an addiction among Keralites. A data on the BARC audience measurement of Malayalam channels between March 21 and 27 show that the press briefings have turned into a must for the average Malayali. As per another data put out by a news portal, The News Minute, the TRP for the Chief Minister's press meet across eight Malayalam channels (both urban and rural) on March 23 had 7.25 rating points. It only increased in the following day, rising to 9.05 rating points by March 27. Of the eight popular Malayalam channels, Asianet news had more viewership than others on all days. According to the portal, anxious Malayalis across the globe are turning into vernacular channels and online streaming to understand where Kerala is placed on the corona virus map. And Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan's press meets are the right location to get the correct information."There has definitely been a spike in views between 6 and 7pm. Ever since the lockdown, there has been a near 300 per cent increase in news viewing as many reality shows, serial and outdoor shows have been suspended. Prior to the lockdown, prime time viewership usually peaked post 7pm. But now we see a lot of traffic by 6pm itself and then it only keeps increasing until 9 and 10pm.," the TNM has quoted a journalist working for a Malayalam channel. After the CAA and COVID-19, Pinarayi Vijayan and the CPM definitely stand to gain politically. Elections to the Assembly are slated for May 2021 and the sense of unease among the Opposition is all too obvious. In its electoral history beginning 1957, Kerala has never elected an incumbent government. And for the last five decades it has been swing-door politics with the Congress-led United Democratic Front and the CPM-led Left Democratic Front alternatively coming to power every five years. The Sabarimala agitation over the entry of women into the Ayyappa temple in 2018 had thrown up BJP as a possible third front. But once the agitation fizzled out, so is the party and the NDA it had constituted with smaller parties. It has now proved that without RSS, the BJP has no cadre of its own in the state; however hard Amit Shah and Narendra Modi may push for the same. As things stand, there is every likelyhood of this trend being breached. If the Muslims in the state, almost 23 per cent of its population, had en masse voted for the Congress-led UDF in the last general election – the Left Front could win just one of the 20 Lok Sabha seats from the state – the same community is now solidly behind Vijayan and the LDF thanks to his bold stand on the CAA issue. Muslims now consider Vijayan as their saviour, not the powerful Indian Union Muslim The Muslim community in the state is now solidly behind Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan , thanks to his bold stand on the CAA issue. Muslims now consider Vijayan, not the powerful Indian Union Muslim League, part of the UDF today, as their saviour. League which is a part of the UDF. This is the most dramatic shift in the political scenario of the state. Sensing the mood among its community members, the IUML too is wavering. The party in the state is known for supporting anyone who is willing to share power with it. In the name of betterment of their community, IUML leaders in the past have been holding both the fronts to ransom. It is a wonder that the party has stuck with the UDF for now over four decades. There may be a shift in this by 2021. Now with the government performance against the corona virus, Pinarayi Vijayan has cemented his popularity among the people of Kerala. Those who are against his autocratic style have been forced to admit his leadership abilities in times of crisis. It may not be a surprise— provided health permits -- Pinarayi Vijayan rewrites Kerala's political history to become Chief Minister for the second consecutive time. That will make CPM still relevant in national politics, perhaps for another five years.