Communism in Kerala started wearing the democratic robe officially in 1957 with the establishment of E M S Nambuthirippad led government at the helm of affairs. Till then, it was a socio-political initiative which had brought about astounding changes in the social fabric of the common people. While communism was the main force that made the lower strata people to speak about atrocities and inequalities that they were subjected to, through a gamut of armed as well as unarmed revolutions, post-changes, communism failed change its outlook and activities in the newly established social fabric of equality.
While on the one hand the activities of communists was the chief force that brought about equality among the multitude of people in Kerala, why it was so successful in imparting the change was the establishment of Indian National Congress (INC)-led democratic government in the Union of India. The achievements of post-world war II INC had been, to a great extend in Kerala, went in the name of the communists. I think, why this could happen was the penetrative presence of communism among the masses, while the rooting of the INC was more or less restricted to the educated class only.
Democracy, as established by the Great ‘Constitution of India’ and the subsequent congress governments of Jawahar Lal Nehru brought forward equality to the masses at least on paper. Oblivious to this fact, the communists were successful in spreading the half-truth that the numerous local successes of the communists was the main factor that brought all the good to the people of Kerala.
Through the following decades of fifties to seventies, the two split up factions – the original communist and the communist-marxists – spread their root among the lower ranks of the society and made them trust the party leader and whatever he uttered. Even today this trend is prevalent among the followers of the communist parties. The leaders indirectly convinced them that the erstwhile ‘oppressed’ are more equal than others. Although this was not at all the fact, or at least what was not expected to be the outcome, the caste-based job reservations and other facilities brought about by the congress-governments at New Delhi facilitated the local communists leaders to ‘make-believe’ the Kerala people that all these were gifted by them.
In the starting the Indian communist classified the people of the country into “Haves” and “Have Nots”. The Haves consisted of the feudal lords and their castes and the Have Nots consisted of “Lower Caste” people who essentially depended on the Haves for their living, mostly through labour. They followed the Russian format with a little indigenization. The communist’s fundamental idea of economic equality of the people is “rob the Haves and give it to the Have Nots”. At that point of time it was relevant to a great extent. In the fiftees, the communist government implemented land ceiling and land distribution, thereby providing a piece of land to one and all. This resulted in “equality in the mind” of the people. However, as the time progressed, they stuck to the same principle by word meaning, which has now taken the shape of a huge “robbery” of financially ‘better to do’ section of the society and what is being robbed never reaches the Have Nots.
So the status today is on of the “Crabs Story”.
“The Crabs” Story
A man caught edible crabs from the backwaters and put them in a bucket. As you know, crabs are dumped into boiling hot water before cooking. Till then, they are kept alive in a container. Now, the crabs start climbing the walls of the bucket to escape. As one crab tries to climb up, the rest of them cling to the first and as a result the climbing crab falls down. Then another crab tries and the same is repeated. In the end, no crab is able climb up and out of the bucket and escape.
At the present socio-politico-economic equality regime of equal opportunity, the idea of “rob and distribute” is nothing but national suicide. The Haves are the ones who worked hand and with luck, could amass a sizeable financial security. The Have Nots are the ones who never felt the necessity of financial security or the ones don’t bother about it. The latter are the people who have the opportunity to earn a lot, and many do, but spend the earnings in liquor. Now, unlike the cold climate countries, in tropical countries liquor/alcohol is not something that heats up the body. Instead it is something exclusively for addiction. The progress of a country is achieved by the progress of its people. If you rob the “Haves” and distribute it to the “Have Nots”, all end up to be “Have Nots”. Equality is achieved. This seems to be the mantra of today’s Indian Communits. At the same time, the Communits of Eurasian countries and China have evolved to embrace resource generation as the key to progress.
Indian Communits MUST realize that the key to equality is no more “Rob the Haves and Distribute to the Have Nots”, but to “Enable the Have Nots to Work and Earn".
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