ADR report: Many Kerala MLAs face cases
Most Kerala MLAs are graduates, while many studied only up to school level, reflecting a wide mix of educational backgrounds in the Assembly
Kerala’s political arena feels like a mirror to India’s gritty electoral battlefield—tainted yet thriving, where muscle and money often trump mandates. A fresh report from the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) and Kerala Election Watch drops a bombshell: nearly 70% of the state’s 132 sitting MLAs carry criminal cases like baggage they can’t shake. Picture it—92 lawmakers with rap sheets pending, from petty squabbles to heinous charges. It’s day 20 of global jitters elsewhere, but back home, this revelation stings locals dreaming of God’s Own Country as corruption-free.
Of those, 33 (25%) face “serious” cases—murder (IPC 302) for two MLAs, attempt to murder (Section 307) for three, and crimes against women, including one rape charge. No names dropped, but the shadow looms large. Party lines blur the blame: CPI(M)’s 58 MLAs have 43 crooks (74%), Congress’s 21 pack 19 (90%!), CPI 44%, IUML 86%. It’s bipartisan dirt—red flags everywhere, eroding trust in the hustings from Thrissur to Thiruvananthapuram. Voters pick them anyway; winnability trumps wholesomeness in Kerala’s high-stakes polls.
Flip to fortunes, and it’s crorepatis galore—72 (55%) flaunt Rs 1 crore-plus assets, totaling Rs 363.78 crore for the lot, averaging Rs 2.75 crore per head. All MLAs from Kerala Congress (M), JD(S), NCP, and Kerala Congress are loaded; IUML leads at 86% richies, Congress 62%, CPI(M) 40%. Congress’s Mathew Kuzhalnadan tops the pile at Rs 34 crore+, trailed by Independent Mani C Kappen (Rs 27 crore) and Kerala Congress (B)’s K B Ganesh Kumar (Rs 19 crore). Rock bottom? CPI(M)’s P P Sumod scrapes by on Rs 9.9 lakh—humble pie in a sea of opulence.
Demographics paint a stale portrait: 61% grads or higher, 36% Class 5-12. Age? 70% are 51-80, silver-haired veterans dominating; just 30% under 50, youth benchwarmer again. It’s the same old guard recycling power, education no shield against graft.
From my Hyderabad lens—close enough to feel Kerala’s pulse—this screams systemic rot. MLAs with murder cases crafting laws? Crorepatis voting budgets while nurses strike for salaries? ADR’s affidavits expose the underbelly: muscle flexes votes in rural pockets, black money oils campaigns. CPI(M)’s cadre machine churns criminals yet cries “revolution”; Congress dynasts hoard wealth amid poverty vows. IUML’s community clout shields its share.
Real pain hits everyday Malayalis—pot-holed roads, crumbling schools, Onam bills ballooning—while leaders jet to Dubai or Delhi. Women voters rage over that rape charge; Dalit activists fume at the impunity. Nationally, it’s no outlier—UP, Bihar echo louder—but Kerala’s 100% literacy shames us deepest. ADR urges reforms: fast-track cases, asset disclosures, none-of-the-above options. Voters, wake up—your cross enables this circus.
Yet hope flickers: independents like Kappen shine amid crorepati peers; youth quotas could inject fresh blood. Until then, Kerala’s assembly is a crooks’ club with cash registers ringing. Time for brooms, not ballots alone—cleanse the house, one seat at a time.