Liberation Struggle was unnecessary and unjustified. The only justification for dismissing the Namboodiripad ministry is the fact that the subsequent elections returned agitators to power. Liberation Struggle stemmed from the opposition mainly two initiatives. The first one was a grassroots- level resentment against the so-called cell rule. The other was the Education Act. But both these initiatives could have waited for five years till after the elections. Liberation struggle was a phenomenal mistake and there was no justification. EMS returned to power in 1967 but the party arrogated to itself the powers of the State as evident in a party local committee secretary in Mankombu, Kunju Cherukkan, issuing a notice to a landlord in connection with a dispute. It was as if he had magisterial powers.
In other words, the party endorsed its apparatchiks exercising extra-judicial authority. This political device helped the party to enjoy “black power”, which is not accountable to the State. Liberation struggle was eventually a source of profit for the Communists and not for Congress. Central Intelligence Agency of USA might have funded the Liberation Struggle, though not directly, but you cannot say that they had instigated it. You cannot say that CIA came and overthrew the Left Government. Surreptitiously, it had perhaps fanned the middle class anger against the progressive legislation. Shall we say brainwashing of the doubting Thomases? It is another fact that the land reforms law did not yield the desired economic results, either by increasing production or productivity.
The legislation empowered the dispossessed. Dalits and agricultural workers could stand up and talk back to landlords, their virtual masters. This grated on the middle class concept of social order. They wanted to retaliate and bided time. They were waiting to give a fitting response to notices issued by the likes of Kunju Cherukkan. Prof Joseph Mundas-serry wanted teacher appointments to be handed over to the Public Service Commission. This was another reform move that brought together anti-Govern-ment forces. Perhaps the agitators only intended to exert pressure on the Government than rem-ove it. The move to hand over teacher appointments to the PSC was “a little ahead of time”.
I recently broached this with CPM politburo member M A Baby, who smiled at it. It should be recalled that former Chief Minister A. K. Antony had repented about the Liberation struggle as it is politically incorrect to say that the movement was the right thing to do. Antony is famous for making politically correct statements to suit his times. I think it is interesting to speculate that if the elections had taken place in 1962, after the full five years of the EMS ministry, Congress would have come back to power on its own. This could have even changed the course of Indian politics.
(As told to Cynthia Chandran)
(The author is former member of the Indian Administrative Service and a member Ombudsman for local self-government institutions of Kerala during 2000-01.)
