The Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] appears to condemn militant trade unionism which it feels runs against the grain of the party’s policy to woo private investment.
Holding forth on the party’s State conference-approved programme for the development of the State, CPI(M) State secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan said here on Saturday that trade union leaders should arrive at a consensus to correct the wrongs in the labour sector. Land was at a premium in Kerala. It often impeded development. Hence, the government should ensure the availability of land for investment.
It was immediately unclear whether Mr. Balakrishnan’s statement was a precursor to possible amendments to the haloed Land Reforms Act legislated by the E.M.S. Namboodiripad government in 1957.
The CPI(M) called for an academic master plan to turn Kerala into a Mecca for higher learning. The government should modernise school and college curricula. Kerala should emerge as a magnet for researchers and students worldwide. It invited private investment in the higher education sector. The party also stressed the need to transform Kerala into a knowledge economy.
The CPI(M) highlighted the dire need for modern super-specialty hospitals that matched those in the West. It also emphasised remoulding Kerala into a global health hub. Kerala should be a world leader in high-end therapies, including cancer care, medical research and organ transplant. The government should enhance its investment in the public health sector. It should allow more medical, nursing and paramedical colleges.
The government should make Kerala garbage-free. It should prevent sewage pollution of waterbodies and prioritise sewage treatment and plastic waste disposal. The CPI(M) also prioritised food safety and sanitation. The State should further empower local self-government institutions. It should push for better decentralisation of power.
Despite political opposition, the party’s State conference resolved to fast-track the K-Rail (SilverLine) semi-high-speed railway project. It said SilverLine would open Kerala’s verdant hinterlands to development, decongest roads, reduce travel time and lessen the State’s carbon footprint. The government should speed up public service delivery and reduce red tape. Nevertheless, the government should take stakeholders into confidence, adequately compensate displaced citizens and desist from bulldozing the project.
Politically, the party decided to wrest control of local bodies ruled by Opposition parties to push its agenda through. The Opposition holds sway in an estimated 40% of local bodies in Kerala.
