It’ll be rule of all: Pinarayi
A new Government of the CPI(M)-led lDF will take charge in Kerala on Wednesday evening with a 19-member Cabinet headed by Chief Minister-designate Pinarayi Vijayan, CPI(M) Politbureau member, being sworn in at a "simple" ceremony at the Central Stadium in Thiruvananthapuram, ending the allegedly corruption-ridden five-year rule of the Congress-led UDF.
"The Government to be sworn in tomorrow will be one of the entire people. There will be no party, religious or caste discrimination," CM-designate Pinarayi said in Thiruvananthapuram on Tuesday. "The new Government's only agenda will be to work for the welfare of the people and unity of the State and it will hope to see a similar approach in return," he said.
The CPI(M), CPI and other partners of the lDF coalition have already finalized their representatives in the Cabinet. However, formal confirmation on the names and their portfolios will come only by Wednesdaymorning. The CPI(M) will have 12 Ministers including the CM, the CPI four and three minor partners, Janata Dal (S), NCP and Congress(S), will have one each.
In the Assembly election held on May 16, the left had scored a landslide victory by bagging 91 of the total 140 seats and confining the ruling Congress-led UDF to a mere 47. The CPI(M) won 63 seats and the CPI 19 but the Congress could get only 22 seats. The BJP-led NDA opened account in the State by winning one seat.
"We had just seen a furiously fought election. But that is over. What we now need is to work with unity for the State's development," Pinarayi said. He will have a meeting with the State Governor on Wednesday morning at which he will hand over to him the list of Ministers. The first Cabinet meeting will be held lateWednesday evening after the swearing-in ceremony.
Giving an indication that the new Government would not tolerate corruption, nepotism and such negative tendencies, Pinarayi said, "Some 'incarnations' may appear claiming closeness to me. Such an incident has already taken place. They don't know my style. All should be alert about such 'incarnations'. I should take care too," he said.
On Monday afternoon, Pinarayi and the party colleagues who would be ministers paid tributes at the Martyrs' Memorials at Punnapra and Vayalar in Alappuzha district. He also paid a visit to 97-year-old communist KR Gowri who had recently been showing signs of patching up with the CPI(M) 22 years after her expulsion from it.
Sources in the CPI(M) said that the immediate task before the Government to be sworn in was to take steps to avoid a financial catastrophe, the threat of which was very much in the air due to alleged mismanagement in the five years of the UDF rule. "The Cabinet meeting of Wednesday is sure to consider this but actions will come only in the coming days," said a top CPI(M) leader.
CPI(M)'s central committee member TM Thomas Isaac, who will take over as Finance minister, has already said that the State finances were in a shambles and a White Paper would be issued on this. However, outgoing Chief Minister Oommen Chandy denied the charge saying that, "The State's coffers are not empty. Isaac will correct his opinion once he takes charge."
As a first indication of his determination to keep austerity and transparency in Government spending, Pinarayi issued an instruction that no modification works should be carried out on the ministers' residences when new occupants moved in. Corruption to the tune of lakhs of rupees used to take place in such modifications and renovations at the start of Governments.
The real test, however, for the Government of Pinarayi will be over how it would deal with the allegations of corruption against the members of the outgoing Oommen Chandy Cabinet, and what action it would take to bring to book the culprits behind atrocities against women including in the case of the brutal rape-murder of a Dalit law student in Perumbavoor on April 28.
Nonagenarian Marxist VS Achuthanandan, whom the CPI(M) denied the post of CM after using his services as the chief campaigner for the left in the election, on Tuesday gave a clear but indirect warning to Pinarayi over such matters. "The people are meant to eat the fruits of victory. Don't make them eat defeat. We will be remaining alert," he said on the Twitter.