Frowns & Smiles

Election time was coming around again in little Kerala state, where the Communists had ruled for 28 months until the Delhi government put a stop to violence there by ousting the Communist regime by presidential decree. Though few thought the Communists could overcome this legacy of hate, India's big Congress Party last week was sending in its biggest guns for the campaign, just in case. Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru himself flew in to address the voters in Kerala, and party pennants fluttered from thousands of flagpoles and coconut trees.

The Congress Party had teamed up with two bitter political rivals, the Praja Socialists and the Moslem League, so that the Communists could not slide into power in Kerala as they did in 1957 with only 35% of the vote. "Unholy alliance," sputtered Communist speakers who fought back with colorful torchlight processions, music and open-air movies.

Nehru is often embarrassed by the clamorous support Communists give him while they attack the Congress Party. But this time even Nehru touched on the sympathy Indian Communists have shown for Red Chinese violations of India's borders. Nehru told a crowd in Ernakulam that "if any group in India in a moment of crisis forgets that its basic loyalty is to India, then that group does not represent India, whatever else it might be." The Kerala Communists, he said, are a "very backward party."

But, Nehru hastened to add, the fight with Kerala's Reds should not be confused with India's policy of friendly relations with Communist nations. To prove his point, he flew straight back to New Delhi to greet with smiles President Kliment Voroshilov and a large Soviet group arriving for a good-will tour. "Hindi Russi bhai bhai [Indians and Russians are brothers]," cried Voroshilov at the airport, and Nehru gaily clutched the arm of the stalwart lady standing beside him, Mrs. Ekaterina Furtseva, member of the Soviet Communist Party's Presidium. Nehru had worked hard to stir up a welcome that would not compare too unfavorably with Ike's great reception, but Voroshilov's welcome was plainly not so spontaneous. Reason for Nehru's solicitude: he regards Russia as on his side in helping to restrain Peking's ambitions.

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