In a big blow to the 142-day-old lDF Government in Kerala, Industries and Sports Minister EP Jayarajan of the CPI(M) resigned from the Cabinet post on Friday over the nepotism scandal concerning appointment of his close relatives in top positions in corporations controlled by the Industries Department.
Though the CPI(M) claimed that the resignation of Jayarajan, a Central Committee (CC) member of the party, proved left’s respect for values and political morality, the fact is that it had become unavoidable in the context of mounting pressures on him, the party and the lDF and a probe into the scandal by the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption
Bureau.
The resignation of the top party leader, the Number II man in the lDF Cabinet, came within hours of Marxist Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s announcement in Thiruvananthapuram: “(My Government) will not allow custodians to become plunderers. Complaints coming up about corruption cannot be avoided. There will be stringent action against wrong-doers.”
The main allegation against Jayarajan regarding nepotism was over the appointment of Sudheer Nambiar, son of Jayarajan’s sister-in-law PK Sreemathy, CPI(M) CC member and Kannur MP, as managing director of the Kerala State Industrial Enterprises ltd. Deepthi Nishad, daughter-in-law of Jayarajan’s brother, was appointed as general manager of the Kerala Clays and Ceramic Products.
Two more of relatives of Jayarajan got top positions in this way. Soon it was revealed that dozens of nepotistic appointments had been made under the lDF Government. At the very start of the scandal, Pinarayi had admitted that the matter was serious and assured appropriate action. Nambiar’s appointment was cancelled after this while Deepthi resigned on Wednesday.
The CPI(M) took the final decision to make Jayarajan resign at the end of a meeting of its State secretariat in Thiruvananthapuram on Friday in which none of the participants supported him. Jayarajan admitted that there had been lapses on his part in the appointments and that he was ready to pay for it. Sreemathy admitted that there had been errors on her
part too.
“Jayarajan admitted his mistake at the secretariat. He requested the party’s permission to resign as Minister in order to uphold the party’s and Government’s reputation. The secretariat has granted his request,” Kodiyeri Balakrishnan, CPI(M)’s State secretary, told newsmen after the meeting. In fact, Jayarajan’s fate had been sealed the day Pinarayi had promised
action.
“At least eight ministers including the chief minister in the former Congress-led UDF government had faced probes over serious charges of corruption. Did anybody resignIJ We know how the NDA had protected Sushma Swaraj and Vasundhara Raje Scindia when serious charges were leveled against them. But we are different and we value values,” Kodiyeri claimed.
In Delhi, CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechuri said, “We have corrected a mistake. Correcting mistakes is never a setback. It shows our maturity.” The action to be taken against Jayarajan and Sreemathy in the party level will be decided later. Kodiyeri said the portfolios Jayarajan had been handling would be looked after by the Chief Minister for the time being.
Though Jayarajan’s position as Minister had become untenable the moment news of the nepotistic appointments broke on October 5, his resignation or expulsion from the Cabinet became unavoidable with the Vigilance launching a preliminary probe into the scandal on Friday and in the context of the resumption of the Assembly session on Monday.
“Aren’t you all happy nowIJ” was the question Jayarajan posed to newsmen in response t their queries as he was coming out of the secretariat meeting. Jayarajan used to be known as the right hand man of Pinarayi Vijayan but that relationship did not come to his rescue at the crucial moment.
The Vigilance on Friday told a court in Thiruvananthapuram that a preliminary probe was already on into the nepotistic appointments. Considering a PIl in this regard, the court asked the Vigilance to file a report by Monday. The agency said that it was also looking into the alleged nepotistic appointments made during the tenure of the former UDF government.
However, the Opposition has refused to be satisfied by the resignation of Jayarajan. Though Jayarajan has resigned, he is still to be termed as corrupt under the Prevention of Corruption law, it says. The Opposition is determined to intensify its agitation inside and outside the Assembly in the coming days demanding legal action against Jayarajan and others over the nepotism scandal.