Antony puts UDF government in the dock

Union Defence Minister A K Antony on Wednesday joined those gunning for Oommen Chandy over the “lack of performance’’ of the UDF Govt. He has also surprised political circles by heaping praise on the previous Achuthanandan Govt for its role in setting up defence industries in the state. He said that he does not know who has to be blamed for the state of affairs of the defence projects in the state. “Ministership can go at any time. During the time of the LDF Government, I had only decided on a few projects. The rest of it was taken care of by the then government. I received unstinted support during the tenure of the government from 2007-2011. Whenever I see Oommen Chandy and Kunhalikutty I remind them about the need for new projects,” he said.

He said he had derived wholehearted support from the then Chief Minister V S Achuthanandan and the then Industries Minister Elamaram Kareem in bringing defence projects to the state but the scenario was different now. “The situation in the state for the past one-and-a- half years has not been so productive,” he stated. He was speaking after inaugurating the Missile Integration Complex at BrahMos Aerospace Thiruvananthapuram Ltd.

Expressing his strong displeasure in the presence of Oommen Chandy, Industries Minister P K Kunhalikutty and others, including Elamaram Kareem, Antony also said he lacks the courage to bring in new projects to the state now. “Till 2011, six defence establishments were set up in the state during the tenure of the LDF Govt. But for the past two years, I’ve not done any home work for a new project. In fact, I now lack the courage to do anything owing to the existing scenario,’’ Antony said. “Oommen Chandy is a good friend of mine. But I don’t have the courage to think about new projects in the state,” he said. “There are many blocks. They have to be removed. If there is none to argue for me, why should I take the pain,’’ he asked in an apparent reference to trade unions, including the INTUC, turning their ire on him on various issues related to the ambitious Brahmos Aerospace.

“Without your guarantee, on what basis I should try for central projects in the state,” he asked. Patting the former V S Achuthanadan government for its support for defence projects, Antony said in a lighter vein that had he been a language wizard, he would have hailed that government much more. Union Minister of State for Human Resource Development Shashi Tharoor, state ministers Shibu Baby John and V S Sivakumar and Mayor K Chandrika were also present.

Soon after Antony’s barrage, George Mercier, ex-MLA and president of the INTUC unit in BrahMos Aerospace, which was in the forefront of a united agitation with leftist TUs against the management and which boycotted the function, resigned from the post. The management had drawn flak for barring the media from covering the function. Seizing on the sharp criticism by Defence Minister A K Antony of Congress-led UDF government in Kerala, CPM stalwart V S Achuthanandan Thursday taunted Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy, asking him to introspect whether he should remain in office after getting such a "certificate" from his senior colleague. Targeting the Chandy government at a function at the BrahMos unit here Wednesday, Antony had regretted the atmosphere in the state was not conducive for bringing defence sector projects. Causing deep embarrassment to Chandy and Industries Minister P K Kunhalikutty, who were present, Antony went on to say the situation was much better during previous LDF government, headed by Achuthanandan, and he had received total support from it in his endeavour to bring several projects to Kerala.

UDF Convener P P Thankachan, however, sought to play down Antony's comments arguing what the senior leader had in mind was concern about trade union activities in defence production units. In his usual acerbic tongue, Achuthanandan asked Chandy whether he would remain in office after the critical comments from his party senior.

"This certificate has come from a person who is occupying the second slot in the Union Cabinet. Would Chandy display that around his neck and continue in office? Let him decide," the former state chief minister told reporters here. Antony's remarks were interpreted by political circles and the local media as a clear expression of displeasure at the way ruling UDF had been conducting the state's affairs in the last one and half years.

Thankachan, however, said much politics need not be read into Antony's remarks as he could be referring to the trade union troubles at the BrahMos unit in Kerala capital. The unions at BrahMos, including those affilated to pro-Congress INTUC, had been at loggerheads with the management of BrahMos Aerospace Thiruvananthapuram Ltd. The Indo-Russion missile production unit was set up here in 1998 after the central take over of a loss-making state enterprise.