Chandy, Congress in a fix over fifth cabinet berth


Thiruvananthapuram, Monday, April 16, 2012: By conceding the demand of Indian Union Muslim League for a fifth ministerial berth in the Congress-led UDF government, both Congress and Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy have landed in a tight spot with several of its leaders coming out against the decision.
Though the issue would not immediately in any way affect the 11-month-old government, which has only a wafer thin majority in the assembly, voices of differences raised by Congress leaders, including Power Minister Arayadan Muhammed, have caste a shadow over the ministry.
UDF has 72 members in the 140-strong assembly and CPI-M-led LDF has 67. One seat is lying vacant, following the resignation of CPI-M’s R Selvaraj, the assembly membership which he won from Neyyatinkara segment in Thiruvananthapuram district.
The discontent brewing up in Congress has come as an embarrassment to UDF as it was riding high on the popularity of Chandy after the impressive win of the UDF candidate at the assembly bypoll from Piravom constituency last month.
It has become all the more embarrassing as the issue cropped up at a time when the Front was preparing itself to face the crucial bypoll in Neyyatinkara. The Front has extended support to Selvaraj’s candidature.

Though a long-standing ally of the Congress and second largest partner in the UDF, IUML’s demand for the fifth ministerial position was opposed by sections in Congress fearing it would upset the communal composition of the ministry in which Christians and Muslims outnumber the Hindus.
After a consensus eluded at the KPCC meet held last week, the party leaders held several rounds of discussions with the high command but the latter sent signals that the issue should be resolved at the state level. A decision to allot fifth berth to IUML was finally taken at a UDF meet on April 11.
With the induction of IUML’s Manjalamkuzhi Ali and Anoop Jacob (KC-J), the strength of UDF cabinet has increased to 21, of which 12 are from minority community.
Besides this, the government chief whip and the Deputy Speaker are also from minority community.
As a mark of protest, several Congress leaders did not attend the swearing—in ceremony of Ali who was inducted into the UDF cabinet along with Anoop Jacob on April 12.
In a bid to appease Nair Service Society, an influential organisation which has often taken a pro-UDF stand, Chandy effected a reshuffle of portfolios and handed over the Home portfolio to Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan, a senior Congress leader from Nair community.
But Chandy’s move failed to have any impact on NSS which said Chief Minister’s “magic tricks” would not rectify the “communal imbalance” in the ministry.
Sree Narayana Dharma Pariapalana Yogam of the Ezhava community also expressed a similar view and said Congress has become weak in the state.
Defending their demand, IUML has said that fifth ministerial berth was not a new demand of the party. The UDF had given such an assurance at the time of UDF ministry formation itself.
In another development, Kerala Congress (B) leader R Balakrishna Pillai, whose relations with his son and Forest Minister R Ganeshkumar had strained, has demanded his removal from the cabinet. Though Pillai’s move would not upset the Ministry, it could cause damage to UDF’s image.
Cracks have also appeared in Kerala Congress(M), another ruling front partner, over one Raja Sabha seat allotted to the party as part of the consensus at the UDF meet.

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