Defying the State Congress leadership’s request to not participate in a seminar organised as part of the Kerala government’s Keraleeyam celebrations, veteran Congress Leader and former Union Minister Mani Shankar Aiyar spoke at the event on November 4, 2023.
The former Union Minister of Panchayati Raj said that he was participating in the seminar on local governance as a tribute to former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi under whose tenure the 73rd Constitutional Amendment to introduce Panchayati Raj was first enacted.
The local Congress leadership is boycotting the week-long Keraleeyam event, accusing the Kerala government of splurging money and resources for the event when the State is deep in debt.
“My party asked me at the last moment not to attend Keraleeyam. I have nevertheless decided to come here not in order to be an undisciplined Congress member but because panchayati raj in a genuine sense started in Kerala only after Rajiv Gandhi’s act was passed in Parliament. So, I am here as a tribute to Rajiv Gandhi rather than as a tribute to (Chief Minister) Pinarayi Vijayan. I hope that my party will not expel me or send me to the gulag for having attended this,” Mr. Aiyar said in his opening remarks.
He lauded Kerala’s record in implementing panchayati raj, calling it the “number 1” State in this regard. He said the current Left Democratic Front (LDF) government has quite a few notable successes, especially in poverty alleviation, but at the same time, the successes under the United Democratic Front (UDF) governments too should not be forgotten.
“The most basic fact about Kerala is that in the 1960s, Kerala’s poverty was around the same as that of Bihar. Today, it has declined to 0.4% in Kerala, while it is 51% in Bihar. What we call the poverty line is really a desperation line. But, it looks like Kerala is going to be the first State to succeed in wiping every tear from every eye. I congratulate the people of Kerala on this magnificent achievement. Although there are frequent changes of government in Kerala (perhaps, there will be another one in the next elections), it has not made a difference to Kerala’s commitment to panchayati raj. Succeeding governments have maintained the achievements of the previous governments and taken it forward,” he said.
He said that the panchayati raj system should evolve considering how around half of Kerala’s population is living in urban areas, adding that Kerala seems to have arrived at stagnation in fiscal decentralisation. Administrative devolution has also been limited.
Mr. Aiyar called for addressing these issues in improving the system. He ended the speech with “apologies” to the Congress president of Kerala.
Earlier, Minister for Local Self-Government department M.B. Rajesh gave a brief account of Kerala’s achievements in local governance in recent years. He also spoke about the plans for the immediate future, including the K-Smart project for digital service delivery in urban local bodies, and the State’s digital literacy campaign.
