Majority of leaders in Kerala’s Congress are against a reshuffle of the State Cabinet at this juncture, but Chief Minister Oommen Chandy, who has emerged stronger in the party after the lok Sabha polls, is firm on it despite criticisms that the only goal of the exercise is the re-establishment of his supremacy and that of his ‘A’ group in the State party.
Chandy has already got the in-principle permission to reshuffle the Cabinet from the Congress high command, which is in no position to oppose any of his proposals on Kerala affairs after its inability to lead the UPA into a decent poll performance, and his ability to enable the party and the ruling UDF to win eight and 12 seats respectively out of the 20 lok Sabha seats in the State.
State Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala, Chandy’s fiercest enemy in the groupism-riddled Congress of Kerala, is already on a campaign against the proposed reshuffle knowing well that the Chief Minister’s first goal is to trim the strength of his ‘I’ group in the Cabinet. Chennithala has already met the high command on the matter but has failed to get any assurance.
VM Sudheeran, whom the high command had directly appointed as State Congress president in February with the aim of keeping Chandy in check and putting an end to group politics, is against a Cabinet reshuffle but he also knows that the Chief Minister is unstoppable at the moment. He is meeting the central leadership on Monday to discuss the matter.
Senior Congress leaders admit even the PCC executive cannot stop Chandy from carrying out the reshuffle. “Chandy had before the election said that it would also be a referendum on his Government. Now that he has won that referendum, even the party cannot deny him his right — the CM’s prerogative — to reshuffle his Cabinet,” a senior Congress leader said.
Chandy is justifying the reshuffle plan by saying that he is committed to re-inducting into the Cabinet former Minister KB Ganesh Kumar of the Kerala Congress(B), a minor UDF constituent, who had resigned in April, 2013 after being accused of domestic violence. Chandy had promised to re-induct him once the case was settled.
Chandy’s detractors within the Cabinet and the party know that Ganesh Kumar, a film star, cannot be absorbed into the Cabinet without the resignation of a Congress Minister as the Cabinet’s strength is already at the maximum permitted 21, in the 140-member Assembly. Chennithala is certain that the one Minister to lose position will be from his ‘I’ group.
Sources in the Congress say that Chandy’s plan is not limited to re-inducting Ganesh but he may also reallocate some of the important portfolios like Revenue and Health, presently held by Chennithala’s loyalists. Rumours are rife that Chandy may drop ‘I’ group’s CN Balakrishnan, currently the Minister for Cooperation, to make space for Ganesh.
Knowing that they cannot question the Chief Minister’s prerogative to reshuffle his Cabinet, his detractors are now arguing that re-inducting Ganesh Kumar, who was accused of having an illicit relationship with con woman Saritha S Nair, chief perpetrator of the infamous solar scam, would only bring disrepute to Chandy, his Government and the Congress.
Congress’s anti-Chandy forces are also trying to get partners of the UDF to oppose the reshuffle move but not many are interested. Muslim league, the biggest ally of the Congress, does not want to support Chennithala, especially after his Home Department moved against Muslim orphanages over the recent incident of alleged child-trafficking from other States.
UDF Government’s chief whip PC George, also vice-chairman of the Kerala Congress (M), third biggest partner of the UDF, has termed the proposed reshuffle as a move to humiliate the people as it is all about the groupism in the Congress. But his party chairman and Finance Minister KM Mani has already stated that he will not interfere in the issue.