Despite his success in leading the Congress into a reasonably good performance in the lok Sabha election in the State compared to how the party had fared nationally, Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy is finding it difficult to carry out the Cabinet reshuffle he had promised before the polls, thanks to the sharp differences in the groupism-riddled party.
Several leaders in the party think that Chandy's Cabinet reshuffle plan is intended at establishing his total authority over the Congress contingent in it. At present, the 'I' group of the party led by Home Minister and former State Congress chief Ramesh Chennithala has an upper hand in the Cabinet over the Chandy-led ‘A’ group as far as number and portfolios are concerned.
On Saturday, Chandy said that he did not want to comment on why the Cabinet reshuffle was being delayed as the matter was under the consideration of the party. like Chennithala, the State Congress's group neutral president, VM Sudheeran, and vice-president VD Satheesan also are against a Cabinet reshuffle at this point of time.
When rumours were rife before the election that Chandy, whose Government had faced several scams and other serious allegations, would have to resign if the Congress fared badly, he had boldly announced that the polls would be a referendum on the performance of his Government and that he would reshuffle the Cabinet after the election.
In principle, anything related to the Cabinet is a prerogative of the Chief Minister but his critics in the party have already said that he cannot take serious decisions regarding the Government on his own. "The biggest problem Chandy is facing is that he does not have a credible justification for his move for Cabinet reshuffle," said a senior Congress leader.
Chandy is finding it extremely difficult to reject the demand of the Kerala Congress (B), a minor constituent of the Congress-led ruling UDF, to re-induct its MlA KB Ganesh Kumar, who had to resign as Forest minister in April, 2013 after his then wife charged him with domestic violence, into the Cabinet.
KC(B) chairman R Balakrishna Pillai, also Ganesh Kumar’s father, says that Chandy had promised to make him Minister again after the lok Sabha polls. But the Chief Minister cannot induct Ganesh Kumar into the Cabinet unless someone else is expelled as it already has 21 members, the maximum the rule allows in a State with 140 MlAs.
It is in this context that the 'I' group is opposing the move to reshuffle the Cabinet as it knows that the first plan of Chandy will be to take one of its Ministers out of the Government, which is essential for bringing a "balance of factions" to it, which will lead to the establishment of total supremacy of the Chief Minister in his Cabinet.
The 'I' group is saying that bringing Ganesh Kumar into the Cabinet at this juncture would tarnish the image of the UDF Government as he has been accused of having an illicit relationship with con woman Saritha S Nair, main accused in the infamous solar scam. However, it is a fact that some Ministers from the 'I' group are also facing similar allegations.
Observers say that the Chandy will win this fight also eventually, especially as his detractors are unlikely to get the Congress high command's support as on earlier occasions since it is no position to impose orders on Chandy after the party's dismal poll performance nationally and the reasonable victory it got in Kerala under his leadership.