THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The government found itself in a tight spot in the assembly on Tuesday after the Opposition disclosed contents of a letter from Chalachitra Academy Chairman Kamal to Cultural Affairs Minister A K Balan recommending regularisation of four contract staff of the institution for their allegiance to the ruling Left.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan was quick to defend his g ove r nment i n the episode. He said Balan had al - ready responde d to Kamal’s letter that political allegiance was not the yardstick for regularisation of contract staff. Pinarayi clarified that none of the staff has been regularised till date.
Opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala raised Kamal’s letter as a trump card after the UDF’s demand for an adjournment motion to discuss “large-scale back-door appointments” carried out by the LDF government was turned down.
‘Kamal letter shows political leanings deciding factor’
Kamal in his letter had recommended regularising the posts of deputy director (festival), programme manager (festival), deputy director (programmes) and programme manager (programmes) would be beneficial to the LDF government and the academy. “Regularising these employees who are Left sympathisers and are actively associated with progressive outfits in the cultural sphere will help in retaining the Leftist character of the academy that adorns a prime position among cultural institutions in the state,” Kamal said in his letter.
It also mentioned that the lack of permanent staff in these supervisory posts ever since the academy’s inception has adversely affected its functioning and continuity of its projects. Despite the chief minister’s clarification that recommendation of the academy director has not been considered, Chennithala said the episode goes on to prove how political leanings was a deciding factor in regularising posts by the LDF government.