Flooded with Mails and Calls

I don’t know how to reply to all those good souls who are sending me congratulatory messages everyday. My telephone keeps ringing every second. Let me use this blog to say a big THANK YOU!

Do keep in touch and post your comments directly. Your advice and blessings will go a long way towards keeping me on track.

“I have promises to keep…”

Swearing-in Ceremony

Today I will be sworn in as a Minister in the Government of Kerala. If God and the people of Kerala are with me, I can do wonders. On my own I am only a drop in the ocean.

I am profoundly grateful to the voters of Pathanapuram, the Congress leadership, and my ardent supporters who made this moment possible. I seek your blessings.

A Red Sunset

The sun has finally set on the Red Empire. It was Friday the 13th after all.

The red fortress of West Bengal crumbled in the face of an assault led by two women leaders – the one million KVA power-house, Mamta Banerjee, and the one-in-a-million Sonia Gandhi. Buddhadev and his aging battalion didn’t stand a chance. After three and a half decades of decadence under communist rule, the State will now get a taste of freedom.

In Kerala, the UDF combine secured 72 out of the 140 seats in the Kerala Assembly, and will soon stake its claim to form the Government. Why was VS & Co. voted out? What was the effect of the Sindhu Joy factor? Why didn’t the people of Kerala fall for the ice-cream bait? Why did the lavish election promises and propaganda of the LEFT fall flat? This is a time for introspection (charcha, parishothana, thettu thirutthal, etc. etc.) The UDF had its share of setbacks too. But in the final analysis, it is the LEFT that was wiped out. No carrots for Karat, my dear friends!

Janangalude Vidhi Deiva Vidhi

The people of Kerala and the people of West Bengal, Assam, Tamilnadu and Puducherry have delivered their verdict. In Kerala, the UDF managed to obtain a paper thin majority. Yes, it is a disappointment – we would have been happier with a tally of 80-85 seats. But in a democracy it is the will of the people that prevails. I bow my head and accept the people’s verdict as the will of God.

From the bottom of my heart I thank the voters of Pathanapuram who have once again placed their faith in me. I thank all those who contributed to my campaign. I am grateful to my co-workers from the film industry who came to Pathanapuram to campaign for me. I owe a special word of thanks to those who sent messages of encouragement from across the globe. Words cannot express my gratitude to my party workers and supporters who stood by me through thick and thin, often missing out on food and sleep, and braving the summer heat. To them I shall remain forever indebted.

The LDF did what they could to obstruct my path. They spread false propaganda, resorted to character assassination, and distorted the truth about my contributions to the community and my achievements as MLA. They led demonstrations against the film stars who campaigned for me. They moved heaven and earth. (Oops! I got that wrong. The word ‘heaven’ does not appear in the Red Dictionary!)

Pakshe janangal vidhi ezhuthi. My victory margin of 20,402 votes clearly shows that my work in the constituency has been appreciated by the people. It also indicates that a great deal is expected of me.

Friends, and party men, once again our work has just begun……!

May God be with us, as always.

Waiting for Friday the 13th

Kerala’s thirteenth Legislative Assembly will take shape on Friday the 13th when the ballot boxes are opened and the votes counted. It will be a lucky day for some and an unlucky day for many. Remember the song, “Only one wish will be granted…..Be it mine…!!”

The fate of Indian Marxism hangs in the balance. With the exit polls predicting a clean sweep for Mamta Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress and their electoral ally the Indian National Congress in West Bengal, it appears that Kerala may well be the last frontier of the LEFT. And I suspect this last bastion will also fall.

I pray for the success of my friends and allies in this election. May the best men and women win!

Muffling Dissent by show of Muscle Power

The offices of the NSS were attacked in the dead of night. The provocation for this was a remark made by G Sukumaran Nair in a private conversation with Philipose Mar Chrysostom. He had described VS Achuthanandan as an uncultured person. The visual media somehow captured and capitalized on this remark. And the retaliation by ‘undisclosed’ attackers was instantaneous.

After the damage was done the CPM State Committee said this was not the work of the Party members. Then was it the work of hired goons? Who hired them? VS himself?

We need to remember that when M R Shaji, a former Chintha employee disclosed uncomfortable details about how VS collected 5 lakhs from a liquor contractor in 2001, his house was attacked that very night. The pattern is uncannily similar. Some anti-democratic elements are at work to silence any voice that speaks up against VS. The attacks are carried out under cover of darkness, and the perpetrators flee before they are discovered. Very brave indeed!

Will the NSS be cowed down by these dastardly acts? No way! Will Sukumaran Nair retract his statement? I don’t see why he should. As a citizen of this country he is entitled to his opinion. And he is free to express it. Those who don’t agree with him should either tolerate his views or try to disprove him. Let them say why VS should be considered a cultured person.

Taking a Break

I’ve been trying desperately to take a break, to spend time alone, to introspect – but finding it next to impossible. Bloggers and blog enthusiasts are egging me on, asking me why I’m silent. Well, it isn’t because I’ve nothing to say. It’s just that I’m tired after the hectic election campaign – and slightly confused.

2011 is a year of multiple happenings – the Japan earthquake cum tsunami cum nuclear disaster, the State Assembly elections in Kerala, Tamilnadu and elsewhere, the passing of Satya Sai Baba, the killing of Osama by President Obama, the fast by Anna Hazare to press for the passing of the Lokpal Bill, the popup of the Shanti Bhushan CD, the Libyan crisis and unrest in the Arab world, the death of the Arunachal CM in a copter crash, and nearer home the marriage of Prithviraj and the attacks on the NSS offices by unidentified (?) hooligans.

As the countdown to the election results draws close, my blood pressure goes up ..up… up…