TRIVANDRUM - The failure of two recent strikes sponsored by leftist organisations in the southern Indian state of Kerala has left the opposition Communist Party of India (Marxist)-led Left Democratic Front (LDF) in total disarray.
While the indefinite strike by government employees and teachers was called off after a week without making any gains, the land stir termed as “the second land reforms movement” ended after the government assured to speed up the process it has already initiated to provide land to all the landless in the state. Though the service organisations belonging to the left parties had launched the strike demanding withdrawal of the government order introducing the participatory pension scheme, they have virtually endorsed it during the talks they had with Chief Minister Oommen Chandy and Finance Minister K M Mani on January 14.
The government did not even give a face-saving concession of withdrawing the cases registered against employees or allowing pay during the strike days. This has left deep disenchantment among the employees, who say that it would make it difficult for the employees to launch any united stir in future for even genuine causes.