Kerala's Politics of Sleaze

The tragedy is two-fold: leaders' careers are destroyed without due process, and the electorate is distracted from issues that truly matter

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Kerala's political landscape was once defined by ideological battles. The Left and the Congress-led centre locked horns on policies and principles, while the Right sulked on the margins. Debates on land reforms, education, decentralisation and workers' rights animated the public sphere. Today, sadly, those discussions have been drowned out by the shrill noise of sex scandals. The shift is neither accidental nor trivial. Instead of focusing on development and governance, political parties now devote enormous energy to shielding their own accused while savaging rivals over even minor misdemeanours. The result is a toxic culture, where character assassination and moral policing substitute for real political contest.