Investing in Kerala: Can Pinarayi Vijayan ensure a consensus in the Left?

Thiruvananthapuram, May 31: The newly elected Chief Minister of Kerala Pinarayi Vijayan invited multi nationals to invite in the state. Vijayan has big plans for Kerala and he even met with the co-founder of Infosys, Kris Gopalkrishnan and discussed setting up silicone valley hubs in the state.

The vibes are positive and the moves by Vijayan are commendable, but there also remains a major issue and that is regarding consensus. Vijayan will have to get all his colleagues in the Left on the same page to ensure that investors are not troubled like they were in the past in the state.

Consensus first:

Kerala has several times in the past reported problems for investors thanks to stubborn unions. The problems faced by Coco Cola and Appolo Tyres due to problems in the unions is still fresh in the minds of several investors. Keeping these issues in mind and the Left controlled unions, Vijayan sure does have his task cut out.

Vijayan is an enthusiastic leader and wants to change the face of Kerala in the next five years. The state well known for its tourism and high remittances from the Gulf apart from being a 100 per cent literate state has potential.

In order to bring the investments in, Vijayan is the best bet, observers in the state say. He has the capabilities and can deal with an iron fist.

However, for Vijayan creating that balance would be the problem. He will have to convince the investor of their safety in the state. In order to do so, he will need to build a consensus within his party and ensure that the unions do not trouble the investors.

This would be his biggest challenge. No investor would like to put his money in the state and face the wrath of the unions which have a tendency of going on strike at the drop of a hat.

Vijayan however, sounds optimistic and feels that he could tide over these problems. He had said that the unions are showing cooperation and this will help bring in the investor. While this sounds like good news to the state, Vijayan's biggest challenge still lies in building a consensus within his party. Will he able to do so? Time will tell.

OneIndia News