Mariyakutty Chacko and her friend Annamma Ouseph hit the streets armed with a begging bowl to highlight their plight — and it clicked!
Mariyakutty with her lawyers. (Supplied)
It came as a tight slap in the face of the ruling LDF in Kerala when Mariyakutty Chacko hit the streets of Adimali in the Idukki district with a begging bowl on 8 November.
The LDF government, especially the senior-most partner in the alliance, the CPI(M), had been boasting of distributing ₹57,400 crore among the weaker sections as welfare pensions. Mariyakutty, 78 — she guessed her age — punched holes in the government’s claim with the innocuous begging bowl.
Landless and homeless, widowed Mariyakutty had been one among the faceless multitude till she sought alms in protest against the government’s failure to provide her rightful welfare pension. She was one among the more than 60 lakh beneficiaries in the state, who have been denied the pension of a meagre ₹1,600 each for over five months.
Adimali resident Mariyakutty was not alone in protesting against the government’s failure to disburse the widow pension. Annamma Ouseph, an octogenarian who is widowed, too, joined her in the streets, holding a placard urging the government to provide relief to the poor. She, too, was without any income, except the state-promised pension — that had not been coming for months.
The women’s novel protest grabbed the attention of the entire state as social media circulated their pictures and videos. They won both bouquets and brickbats, the latter coming from pro-Left handles.
Mariyakutty Chacko and Annamma Ouseph protesting in Adimali. (Supplied)
Netizens owing allegiance to the Left parties claimed the women were agents of the Opposition Congress, out on the streets to defame Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and his “pro-poor” government, which had shelled out ₹23,000 crore as welfare pensions ever since it came to power in 2021 with a renewed mandate.
Speaking to South First over the phone, Mariyakutty asserted that she was not part of any political game plan.
In the weeks that followed, the septuagenarian, who had studied only up to Class IV, became the target of a vilified fake news campaign. Desabhimani, the Malayalam mouthpiece of the CPI(M), reported that she owned 1.5 arable acres and two houses — given on rent — bank balance and her daughter was working in Switzerland.
Following the report, the woman approached the Mannamkandam Village Office and got certified that she was landless. Armed with the certificate, she filed a defamation suit against Desabhimani, forcing it to publish a rejoinder disowning its earlier report.
In the third week of December, Mariyakutty made news again. She approached the High Court of Kerala for an order to the government to provide her pension. She also pointed out that the meagre sum was crucial for the poor like her.
“Christmas is fast approaching, and we wish to have good food. There are scores of poor people like me who are in pathetic condition and have no source of income other than the meagre pensions. Please direct the government to give us priority,” she pleaded.
Mariyakutty told the high court that she had no income other than the pension under the Indira Gandhi National Widow Pension Scheme, which has been pending for the past five months.
Justice Devan Ramachandran, who heard the case on Thursday, 21 December, termed her a VIP. He pulled up the government for defaulting in disbursing the pensions.
The state government blamed the Centre for not contributing to the pension fund. The court issued a notice to the Union government seeking an explanation. The high court would further hear the matter on Friday, 22 December.
The judge, however, observed that the government had money to splurge on celebrations but not to disburse the widow pension.
Mariyakutty expressed gratitude for the court’s prompt response and hoped that the state government would stop its hate campaign against her.
“I am not anybody’s enemy, and I am not opposed to any political party. I protested only when I felt difficulty paying for even medicines and electricity,” she told South First.
Mariyakutty said a set of lawyers was supporting her in the legal battle.
“We were informed that the pension hadn’t arrived when we went to the Adimali Grama Panchayat’s office on 6 November. Even now, the pensions for the past five months are pending, and the government says it will release one pending amount ahead of Christmas. It’s unfair. There must be a mechanism for releasing pensions on a particular date every month,” she opined.
“We never thought our protest would win wide attention. A few people took pictures and videos of the protest and posted them on social media. The mainstream media came to know about it later,” Mariyakutty said, adding that she did not anticipate angry responses from the CPI(M) organ and its cyber activists.
“Those who spread false news through the media never visited my house to understand my situation. Nor did they take any steps to resolve the issue,” she said.
The septuagenarian then went on to point out the government’s submission in the court. “The government has funds to organise huge public events and shows. The priority must be on providing pensions to senior citizens. It is a great relief for many people,” she added.
On her daughter “working in Switzerland” as claimed by Desabhimani, the elderly woman said she has been selling lottery tickets in Adimali town for a living.
Meanwhile, Kerala has been passing through an acute financial crisis, and the distribution of almost all governmental aid has come to a standstill. Subsidies and grants for midday meal programmes at schools have been affected. Dues to eateries providing subsidised meals as part of the government’s “hunger-free Kerala”, too, have been pending.
Pinarayi Vijayan at the Nava Kerala Sadas in Kozhikode. (X)
According to government sources, approximately ₹900 crores was required each month for disbursing pensions. But the non-payment issue took a political hue with the government’s Nava Kerala Sadas — a massive outreach programme — and Keraleeyam — Kerala formation day celebration — extravaganzas.
When Mariyakutty’s issue hogged the limelight, actor and BJP leader Suresh Gopi and senior Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala announced that they would provide the two women ₹1,600 each till the government paid the full amount.
“Many elderly individuals rely on these pensions to avoid having to ask their children for their meagre necessities, such as purchasing medications,” Mariyakutty said.
In the 2016–17 Budget, the then-UDF dispensation under Oommen Chandy hiked the old-age pension to ₹1,500 and extended the widow pension benefit to include women whose husbands had abandoned them for “more than five years.” The Vijayan government increased it to ₹1,600.
Other than elderly people, widows, physically challenged people, and poor farmers, too, have been receiving welfare pensions.
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