THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The long-drawn row involving Thomas Chandy cost the LDF dearly as it pitted the CPM and the CPI, the major partners in the ruling combine, on a collision course. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and the CPI state leadership nearly had a direct confrontation on the issue.It was a major gamble the CPI could have taken in coalition politics. On Wednesday, the party ministers chose to stay away from the weekly Cabinet meeting in a bid to pressure the CPM to oust Chandy from the Pinarayi Cabinet. Apparently, it was this last-minute pressure tactic by the CPI which led to Chandy’s resignation.
A miffed CPI toughened its stance on Wednesday morning and boycotted the weekly Cabinet meeting, a first-of-its-kind protest which was later termed ‘extraordinary’ by the Chief Minister. The CPI Ministers stayed away from the meet on the party leadership’s instructions. Strongly disagreeing with the CPI’s decision, Pinarayi felt “it is something which should rather not have happened”.
A highly placed source said that on Tuesday itself the CPI state leadership had indicated about its decision not to attend the Cabinet meet along with Chandy.
At the post-Cabinet presser, the CM said the Chandy issue didn’t figure in the Cabinet meeting. Pinarayi also disclosed the CPI Ministers stayed away. “Minister E Chandrasekharan dispatched a letter saying the party had asked them not to attend the Cabinet session if Chandy was present. The Cabinet is the forum to discuss all issues and take decisions. Staying away is an extraordinary move,” said Pinarayi. He further said since Chandy had not put in his papers at the time of the Cabinet meet, it was natural he attended the same. “Each party in a coalition will have its own stance.
The Cabinet has not lost its collective responsibility. The stance taken by each minister depends on that of their parties too,” Pinarayi said in response to why he did not force Chandy to resign in the morning.
Meanwhile, Revenue Minister E Chandrasekharan said the CPI Ministers stayed away due to “extraordinary happenings.” The CPI Legislative Party Leader said the move was taken as it was an extraordinary situation. He rejected arguments the government had lost its collective responsibility for its actions. “The party stance was not against any minister or individual.
It was communicated to the Chief Minister. The government has not lost its collective responsibility. That’s why we communicated our decision not to attend the Cabinet meeting to the CM,” Chandrasekharan said. Meanwhile, the CPI state leadership said keeping off the Cabinet was only a mode of protest. When there are extraordinary developments like a minister approaching the court against the government, there will be extraordinary reactions too, said CPI state chief Kanam Rajendran.
“The CPI did not boycott the Cabinet meet. We decided not to attend as a mark of protest against a minister who challenged the government in the court and invited criticism from the HC. If we wanted, we could have attended the Cabinet and trooped out when Chandy arrived. Instead, we chose not to attend as a symbolic mark of protest,” Kanam told Express.
High drama at PinarayI’s conference room
T’Puram: High drama unfolded at Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s conference room at the post-Cabinet briefing. A heavy posse of mediapersons was waiting for the Chief Minister who was expected to announce the future of the Transport Minister. But he chose to brief about the reservation for forward communities to be implemented in devaswom recruitments. Then he switched on to another topic - installing a statue of Sree Narayana Guru in the capital. In further disappointment to the reporters, he then elaborated on raising the retirement age of government doctors. And finally, if you thought he voluntarily spoke about Chandy, you are wrong. Only when the reporters asked the Chief Minister that he spoke on the Chandy issue.
‘NCP assured of returning Cabinet berth’
T’Puram: NCP state president T P Peethambaran has said the Chief Minister had assured the party of returning the NCP’s Cabinet berth once the party MLAs get exonerated in the cases pending against them. He told a news conference here that Thomas Chandy’s resignation was to avoid adding disgrace to the LDF and Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.
No coalition party can mount pressure on the NCP. But the LDF meeting held the other day had called for a suitable decision in view of the situation that emerged in the wake of the media trial
T P Peethambaran, NCP state prez