The Opening of bars won’t solve the drug abuse problem Mr. Vijayan: Kerala opens bars again

Popularly Punjabis and Keralites or Malayalis have been proud of their ‘Capacity’. And here I don’t mean the capacity to eat but to drink alcohol. Vivid stories of Malayalis having large quantities of alcohol without becoming tipsy at all. But that was changed about a year ago when the UDF government banned alcohol in the state. Many challenged this idea but the government did not budge. The new government in the second year gave the people a huge present in the form of bar licenses. And the government justifies the move as a counter to the increase in drug abuse in the state.

But that doesn’t add up the earlier incidences of drug abuse in the state when alcohol was not banned. This government has put itself in a strange position with a portion of the society supporting the decision and another portion disliking the decision. But if we consider basic human psychology a lesser evil is not going to stop people from going to the next level. This trade-off by the Kerala government is faulty and will only increase the use of drugs in the state.

Addicts that are used to alcohol will obviously try to get a new high by trying drugs alongwith the alcohol. And people who were already using the two together will get a shot in the arm by this decision. Moreover people who didn’t knew about drugs are now enlightened about this addiction and if they had a try or two with alcohol once, they will do the same with the drugs and thus this vicious circle will continue.

The government of Kerala just gave a stronger thrust to this vicious wheel. This wheel will sure have social impacts as well. Alcohol is not introduced in a situation where people have a choice to stay aloof. It is like a whirlwind, which pulls you in whether you want it or not. And considering the move of the Kerala government which permits three star hotels and restaurants to sell alcohol, the youth of the state and the neighboring states are at risk.

It is clear from the government’s shady reasons that this move is just to introduce a new head of revenue for the state. And the sad part is that this is based on the health of number of youth of the country. Not to mention the relation between drinking and crime in general. And particularly in the case of Kerala, the crime against women, which has been a black mark on the state for so long. You cannot burn an entire forest to weed out one rat, and if you do so the rat will live to see you die soon. 

First a high court judge sentences a Supreme Court judge; now lower courts will dictate governments on policy making: Madras high court stay on Government order

It was not too long after a Kolkata high court judge C S Karnan sentenced the Supreme Court judge explicitly, that this news made it to the headlines. The Madras high court makes another landmark by putting a stay on the Center’s order on banning sale of cattle for slaughter. And this was on a PIL submitted in the court within just days from the release of the Center’s order.  This might be one of the fastest PIL trials the country has ever seen.

But why has the lower court decided to stay on the Center’s order even without consulting with the Center. No representative of the Center was asked an explanation on the case and the court gave the verdict in the litigants’ favor. Or maybe this was just a show by the State government to ease the tension owing to the ban inside their state. Clearly this case has showed that any order from the Center can be rolled back or made ineffective in a sense.

This is particularly important to note since any state that does not have a majority of the ruling Central party can easily create a problem. When we look at our history states that did not obey the orders of the ruling emperor were taken very seriously and in some cases it also led to military coups to dismantle the tension. Such a knee jerk reaction was to ensure that other states take example from them and obey the order. But here this incident is not only raising questions on the governments’ hold on the people but their capability to govern such situations. Firstly the incident of the public slaughter of an animal in Kannur was disturbing and now this stay order is staring the Center in the face.

The problem started from the Center as they did not consult the states before releasing the order. A sudden decision will always attract such a reaction from the people. Or else the Center should have done this in an indirect way using a different methodology. The Center could have demanded a particular tax on the purchase of cattle for slaughter. Another way is to reduce the prices of meat available from government abattoirs. Thereby the problem of illegal slaughter houses and the problem of scarcity of milch cows are also solved.

The farmers have a dual income by using livestock for milk as well as for meat. This has been the practice of farmers throughout history. The government could allow the easy sale of livestock that is healthy to government abattoirs at a higher rate and thereby solve the problem of farmers. But the stay order of the high court should be questioned by the Center to elicit an explanation regarding the abrupt and sudden decision. And also the PILs that come up should be monitored to ensure that they do not contempt the Central Government or condemn its approach. Such PILs can dilute the image of the government and thereby create a dangerous situation of anarchy. People will question every single move of the government and not obey the government. It is true that a tree that grows bigger than the house is dangerous to the house itself. Let’s not be that tree.

Beef-ban or cruelty ban, Kerala must choose: Cattle sale ban protest

The controversial beef ban in the country did trigger a lot of turmoil in the masses. Traders saw it as an invasion over their business and protested it in the best possible manner; and now the latest news from Kerala where people are protesting the ban on the sale of cattle for butchering.  They protested by killing a young calf in front of a camera on a public road in Kannur.

This was an unexpected move for anybody. Not only did the Congress Party but the entire country was surprised by this barbaric move. Everybody was shocked at the incident and the social media fired up the outreach to millions across the country. The ritual was as a protest against the government’s move to ban the sale of cows.

But is this the first time when a ban has been placed on the sale of cows? In the pre-independence era also there were bans on slaughtering of cows and an age was decided for bulls and calves that were to be slaughtered. Kerala is among the few states in India that has allowed the slaughter of cows. Sometimes to fulfill the requirement of meat cows are imported from the nearby Tamil Nadu and sometimes even smuggled. The Center’s intervention in the state’s jurisdiction has made them jittery.

But logically the states had to be asked before taking such a decision. Such a voting would have brought a more democratic opinion. The states would have been ready to cope with the change and central assistance in the matter would have been better. But the problem is that this is seen more as a Hindutva decision rather than a government decision. Had it been the Congress Party this would have been a different scenario. The central government would have been seen as a Saffron Party and the state would have been efficient in controlling the protest under a UDF government.

The ruling Communist party had many disputes with the center on many issues. The latest being the Kochi Metro inaugural ceremony which was planned deliberately on a day when the PM was busy the abrupt suspension of Mr. SenKumar etc. The government whiplash would be really devastating on the Kerala state if it still continues with its uncooperative attitude.

The innumerable killings of political workers in the state are a matter of deep concern. In such a situation this incident of a public slaughter of an animal is just raising questions on the state government. The offender must have been caught and jailed immediately instead of allowing a ‘Beef Party’ in the middle of the street. And to accept that the state government with all its police force cannot do anything to contain such a protest is really a black mark in the Red Party’s flag.

But nonetheless this incident is surely a black mark on the Congress Party whose workers were instrumental in this ordeal. Surely Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi will have to take the heat of this barbarism in the media as the issue has surely rattled many animal activists. There is a popular belief that we should aim small so that we miss small. Probably they never heard of it but surely this is going to damage Kerala’s image.

The Idiocy of Politicians is Brimming in India: The MM Mani derogatory speech in Kerala

India might be a country which is described as a boiling pot of cultures. This allows us to witness one of the best art and drama in the country. Though the primetime television serials are lacking in story, the theater drama industry can get a shot in the arm from the politicians of the country. Not long after the Shiv Sena Minister Gaikwad fiasco had ended, than we hear another rant from a political leader from God’s Own Country-Kerala. MM Mani a minister in the Communist Party government in Kerala was in deep trouble when he ridiculed the Ponbolai Orumai group about having illicit relations with men. This did not go down well with the group who called for an indefinite strike asking for the resignation of the minister. 

This is not a first for the state of Kerala where politicians have been mincing words to create an effect in the speech. And also if the speeches consist of female bashing and slutting it garners more attention. But this particular minister has been a troublemaker on many occasions. And what is more shocking is that no minister ever tries to apologise to the offended. They stand by what they did and forget that they are living in a democracy. And shockingly this comes from a state whose first government was a Communist government. The Party has fallen to such low standards that there are no leaders who have the stomach to accept their mistakes. They are only available for speeches and rallies but never for governance and justice. 

All this and the Munnar situation might leave a permanent black mark on the face of the Communist Party. Considering the demographics of Kerala where majority are females, this will not go down nicely with the female population who is taking notice of all these developments. These are situations which call for the intervention of the Chief Minister of the state; but in this case there is only silence from his end. The lip service given by him is not required; even a scribe can read it out on his behalf. The need of the hour is action that resounds well out of the confines of the Assembly that the Chief Minister is with the people.

Or maybe the CM wants to complete his obligation to MM Mani that he will allow him to continue his term as electricity minister. But does this mean that MM Mani is sitting on some hidden skeletons under him? And to prevent these skeletons from coming out the CM is allowing him to continue. Well, a wise man once said that we must keep our friends close and our enemies closer….