The first Communist Ministry under E.M.S.Namboodiripad in Kerala was dismissed by the Nehru Government on 31st July 1959. As every body, including Congress leaders, will admit now, it was a clear case of murder of democracy.
After the formation of Kerala as a separate state on reorganisation of States on 1st November 1956, the first election to the state was held in 1957. The Communist Party of India won the election with only a slim majority of two seats, out of 127 seats it won 60 seats with 5 independents supported by it. The entire world pointed out it as the first communist victory through democratic elections. There was reluctance on the part of the Central Government headed by Jawaharlal Nehru to accept this defeat and allow the government to be formed. The Congress party under the Presidentship of Indira Gandhi made all efforts for getting some defection from the Communist ranks, but utterly failed even to snatch away the independents. The Government was formed with E.M.S.Namboodiripad as the Chief Minister.
The first Communist ministry in Kerala within months started effective legislation on Land reforms, education system and also on the labour front. It was implementing land reforms which the Congress governments had promised but not implemented any where in India. It was a fool proof Land Reforms Act that the government passed, through issuance of an ordinance even before the bill was moved in the assembly.All these angered not only the congress government but also the feudal and communal forces which had vested interests against the education and agrarian reforms.
Indira Gandhi, then Congress President, managed to combine all the anti-communist forces and tried to defect some of the independents but failed. It was then that the ‘Vimochana Samaram’, the so called ‘liberation movement’ started. Utilising this opportunity the Central Government dismissed the EMS Government under Article 356 of the Constitution, even though there was no justification. Incidentaly, this was probably the first occasion of dismissal under Article 356, which the Central Government misused many times later to dismiss state governments which it did not like.
It is 52 years on 31st July 2011, after that massacre of democracy by the then Congress government. The first EMS government was one of the best government Kerala has ever seen.
Dismissal of EMS Ministry in Kerala in 1959 – Murder of Democracy
31 Sunday Jul 2011
Posted in Uncategorized
1 E M S Ministry got the freedom for presenting the bills of education and agriculture by the constitution of India and it had included it in the concurrent list.
2 in a democratic system why ems denied to discuss both bills with the affected parties.
3 why ems told the people to eat and live with macroni imported from Italy
4 why ems purchased 5000 tons rice from a local whole sale dealer at madras with out any tender or any agreement and in a heir price than in the local market.
5 why ems refused to accept justice Raman nair report.
6 why ems supported the police firing against the cashew workers at chanthanathoppu ,KOLLAM caused for death of 2 workers Raman and Sulaymaniyah.
7 why ems supported the police killing of 15 ordinary people in 1959 in connection with the people strike.
It was a cruel anti democratic goverment .
How will say it was good goverment.
By political reason you can say .
All these allegations have been proved false. In fact, it is only because of the ruling by the Left that even the policy of land reform has been implemented, which is not implemented in the Congress states. Wherever the Left comes to power, not only the fundamentalist/communal forces but also the imperialist forces have made all crooked methods to crush the same. There are many many instances. Despite all these attempts to kill the CPI(M) and the Left, one will have to agree that the CPI(M) is the biggest political party in Kerala, where the people are well educated and understand politics.
very good article mr Namboodripad ,
pls write more about the events and facts you know about that period for the young generation
Thank you. I will try.
Article is the result of wounded feeling rather than of mature appraisal of history. It is a good sign that the memory of Vimochana Samarm continues to haunt party even today. Because a party that does not believe in democracy and for whom democracy is only a mask has tasted the fury of the people and party won’t ever dare to challenge the people and subdue them as in China and N. Korea. People of Kerala has forgotten the sacking of 1st EMS government/ If the sacking on 31st July 1959 was murder of democracy people of Kerala proved that the party’s accusation was wrong by defeating the EMS’s party in the next assembly election. I wonder even though Communist party later won elections and formed governments in the state several time why did the party never ever dare to enact in the Assembly the same educational law on which the people of Kerala surged in agitation in 1958-59 ?
No need for further elucidation of the matter. The Congress won in the next general election by making an alliance with many parties including Muslim League, which the Indian Prime minister and Congress leader Jawaharlal Nehru called as dead horse. But in the next six decades after the dismissal of the EMS ministry, CPI(M) has grown as the biggest party in Kerala. The LDF has passed many important acts in the assembly including on education and the people have got the benefit out of those. By the way, it was US Ambassador in India, Mr. Moinihan himself,who wrote in his book about the large amount given to the parties involved in the Vimochanasamaram. How patriot it is! And what is the present condition of the party that dismissed EMS Ministry? Through its complete misrule and gross corruption, it has enabled BJP to come to power. It was reported a few days back in the papers that about 110 BJP MPs are Congress leaders who have shifted to BJP! In Tripura all the Congress MLAs have shifted to BJP!
Please note that Socialist China, a very poor country compared to India in the past and also under colonial rule like India, is the second economic power in the world, far ahead of India.
Proud to know that. As a keralite i still believe its the best govt in india. We have religious harmony, we rank top in education , helathcare, life standard, cleanliness, infrastructure , agriculture, honesty and development. The communist chief minister is the only one in india to openly challenge beef ban of bjp, while congress has not bowed to beef ban openly and neither spoke aginst it, many state governemnts with congress rule are silent on ban in hindu dominant areas. We are the proud keralites.
Correct comrade.
Can you please provide a summary under whose prime ministership there were of democracy.
You, yourself can go through the the records and find out. If you feel that dismissal of EMS Ministry is not undemocratic, it is another matter.