The CPI(M) has put on notice the CPI and K Krishnankutty, Kerala’s Minister for power and the representative of the Janata Dal (S) in the Left Democratic Front Government.
The COI(M), heading the LDF is not amused by the way Krishnankutty is handling the controversies in Kerala State Electricity Board. The minister is known for his closeness to B Ashok, the IAS officer who is the chairman of the Board in his battles with the trade unions, especially the CITU.
Ashok, known for his integrity and uprightness has taken action against three senior officers of the Board for gross indiscipline. The officers got the disciplinary actions nullified by the Kerala High Court. But the three were transferred from the head quarters of the Board at Thiruvananthapuram to thye districts and this deteriorated further the relation between the chairman and the officers.
Minister Krishnankutty has been supporting the chairman in the latter’s bid to clean the Eugen Stable the Board has become. On Thursday the Board asked M G Suresh Kumar, executive engineer, to pay Rs 6.5 lakh for misusing the official car for trade union works. Suresh Kumar was the de facto Board Chairman during the tenure of M M Mani (Krishnankutty’s predecessor in the department of power).
The CPI(M) party secretariat which met on Wednesday reportedly expressed unhappiness over Krishnankutty’s infatuation with Ashok and asked the minister to either toe the CITU line or get ready to be ousted from the councilof ministers. JD(S) has just two members in the House and Krishnankutty knows well that the other MLA is waiting in the wings to become minister. The minister said on Thursday that all issues related to the chairman and the officers owing allegiance to the CITU would be resolved in a week’s time.
The CPI, the second largest constituent of the LDF was shocked by an invitation extended by E P Jayarajan, the newly appointed convenor of the Front, to Muslim League. “We are in the process of expanding the base of the LDF by bringing in like-minded parties under one umbrella. We would love to have Muslim League among us in our mission to dethrone the BJP from the Centre in the 2024 Lok Sabha election,” Jayarajan told reporters on Thursday. He reminded them of the resolution adopted in the 23rd Party Congress at Kannur early this month that the CPI(M) would forge alliance with all secular, democratic and liberal forces to defeat the “communal” BJP once and for ever.
The new convener waxed eloquence at P K Kunhalikutty, the Muslim League strongman and termed him as the best political strategist in the country.
Kanam Rajendran, the Kerala secretary of the CPI, reaxcted to Jayarajan’s initiative by making it known that there was no agenda in front of the LDF to bring in new allies. “It may be his personal view,” said Rajendran, who looked visibly upset over the development. “The CPI leader knows well that their prominence would be eclipsed with the entry of Muslim League to the LDF. But there is no need to give any importance to Jayarajan’s statement. He is the new convenor of the LDF and wants to make his presence felt. Till 2024, nothing is going to happen in Kerala politics,” said P Sujathan, veteran commentator.