🎭 Political Theatre | Parties trade barbs as Bihar manifestos drop; CPI(M)-CPI rift halts Kerala’s PM SHRI plan

Hi readers! From Bihar to Kerala, the political landscape in India this week was anything but quiet. With Bihar heading to polls in less than a week, the political battleground turned electric. The I.N.D.I.A. bloc and the NDA unveiled their manifestos with big-ticket promises — from job creation to massive infrastructure investments, even as campaign rhetoric reached fever pitch with leaders trading personal barbs. But the political heat wasn’t confined to Bihar alone. Down south, Kerala’s ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF) witnessed a rare internal rift over the PM SHRI scheme, forcing the CPI(M)-led government to freeze its decision after pressure from its ally, the CPI. 

Here’s your comprehensive roundup of the week’s key political flashpoints.

Manifestos and mudslinging in Bihar

Union Home Minister Amit Shah addresses a gathering ahead of the Bihar Assembly elections, in Darbhanga(L), Rahul Gandhi in Bihar

With less than a week remaining for the state of Bihar to go to polls, the dominant parties in the fray are pulling up their socks and the campaigns have reached fever pitch. The top leaders of both the fronts have also been trading barbs at each other, as expected. On Wednesday, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi courted yet another controversy when he said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi could dance on stage if he is told that the act would fetch him votes. The BJP hit back with Union Home Minister Amit Shah calling Mahagathbandhan ‘Thug-bandhan’ (bunch of Thugs) and the party accusing Rahul of speaking the language of a ‘local goon’.

The past week also saw both the fronts release their manifestos. I.N.D.I.A bloc released its manifesto, titled 'Bihar Ka Tejashwi Pran' on Tuesday. The manifesto talks about employment, introduction of the Old Pension Scheme. The manifesto also promises IT parks, SEZs, dairy, agro-based industries, education city, 5 new expressways. I.N.D.I.A. bloc manifesto for Bihar polls has 25 major points assuring practical solutions. Meanwhile, NDA released their manifesto on Friday, which promised jobs to one crore youth, investments of Rs 50-lakh crore in five years and global skilling centres in every district of the state.

'Family feud' in Kerala's Left

The past week witnessed a rare and unusual period of tension between the two dominant Left Democratic Front (LDF) allies - the CPI(M) and the CPI, with the former, justifying the decision to implement the PM SHRI (Pradhan Manthri School for Rising India) scheme, whereas CPI, which is the second largest party in the ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF) government, conveying its strong protest for taking the policy.

Top leaders of CPI, including Binoy Viswam, state secretary of the CPI, said that CPM took the policy decision to implement PM SHRI without discussion in the LDF. “It was against the basic principles of the front. The CPI is still of the view that PM SHRI was part of BJP's attempts to impose the RSS agenda in the education sector through the National Education Policy - 2020 (NEP)," Viswam said. Meanwhile, state education minister and CPM leader V Sivankutty said that the government changed its earlier stand against NEP following discussion and it was not possible to oppose NEP forever, especially since around Rs 1,500 crore was due from the Centre. 

However, a week later, the Kerala government decided to freeze the decision to implement the PM SHRI scheme, in view of the objections raised by the CPI. Kerala CM and CPM leader Pinarayi Vijayan said that further decisions will be taken based on the findings of a seven-member committee which has been formed to study the scheme. 

Voter rolls, rising objections

Earlier this week, the Election Commission of India (ECI) announced the second phase of Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls after Bihar. The second phase is set to be conducted in 12 states and union territories including Kerala, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh. While four poll-bound states and UTs -- Kerala, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal and Puducherry -- will witness the SIR in this phase, the exercise in another election-bound state Assam will take place only later as the finalisation of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) process is still going on. 

Meanwhile, the opposition parties have criticised the exercise, alleging that ECI’s “intentions and credibility” were under suspicion. Congress Media and Publicity Department Chairman Pawan Khera said they had not yet received answers to the questions related to the SIR conducted in Bihar so far. CPI(M) General Secretary MA Baby said the "arbitrary and unilateral" declaration of SIR is "highly objectionable". Tamil Nadu CM MK Stalin said that the southern state will reject SIR and fight the "injustice" with all its might and use every democratic weapon available at its disposal. 

In Karnataka, it was DKS vs Tejasvi

As criticism mounts on the Karnataka government with regard to infrastructural issues, particularly the tunnel road project, this week saw Deputy CM DK Shivakumar and BJP MP Tejasvi Surya engaging in a war of words regarding the same. Dismissing the young BJP MP’s opposition to the tunnel road project as politically motivated, Shivakumar branded Surya as an ‘empty vessel’.  

Meanwhile Tejasvi has been vehemently opposing the project, terming it as "unscientific and disastrous" and accusing the Karnataka government of acting in undue haste to complete the detailed project report (DPR) without conducting an environment impact study or preparing the drainage design, disaster management plan and traffic projections for 25 years.