Why Manaveeyam Veedhi is at the centre of a political battle between BJP, CPI(M) in Keralam capital

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A view of Manaveeyam Veedhi, the cultural corridor of Keralam’s capital city.

Manaveeyam Veedhi, the cultural corridor of Thiruvananthapuram, Keralam, is now caught in a political battle between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Communist Party of India (Marxist). The BJP, which took power in the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation in the local body elections last December, is attempting to bring about certain changes on the street, which has been hosting various cultural events as well as protest programmes for the past three decades.

The simmering issues came out into the open on October 16 when the Museum Police attempted to seize a microphone ahead of a protest demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. According to CPI(M) leader and former Thiruvananthapuram Mayor V.Sivankutty, the denial of police permission for the event featuring actor-activist Prakash Raj was prompted by instructions from the Corporation authorities.

Last week, the BJP-led Corporation made clear its intent to make the street “protest-free” and to keep it limited to cultural activities, leading to protests by cultural activists who have been part of the street’s activities for a long time.

K.G. Suraj, secretary of the Manaveeyam Theruvidam Cultural Collective and Street Library, calls the move a blatant overreach of authority. He said that the Corporation’s move to render the space ‘protest-free’ by eliminating expressions of dissent is an encroachment upon the artists’ freedom of thought and expression.

“Manaveeyam Veedhi was constructed and subsequently renovated by the State government with the coordination of various government departments. Any claim by the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation to have regulatory control over Manaveeyam Veedhi is purely illusory. The community of artists and enthusiasts at Manaveeyam Veedhi holds the view that art and culture should serve as instruments for social progress and change. Manaveeyam Veedhi has a history of responding to emerging social issues through art, a tradition that has included protests, and will continue to do so,” he said.

According to Mr. Sivankutty, Manaveeyam Veedhi is a road under the Public Works department (PWD) and that its management rights have never been transferred to the Municipal Corporation.

“Everyone has the right to conduct art and cultural programmes at Manaveeyam Veedhi. However, such programmes must be organised in a manner that does not compromise the fundamental vision of the space. The expectation is for people to participate in and enjoy the events held there. No license is required to host appropriate art and cultural programs at Manaveeyam Veedhi, nor has any single entity been authorised to oversee such activities. Typically, political parties do not hold events at Manaveeyam Veedhi. This is an established understanding. Yet, the BJP has violated this consensus by organising an event there last week, emboldened by their hold on the city administration,” he said.

Thiruvananthapuram Mayor V.V. Rajesh was not available for comment. 

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