THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The row over the appointment of the new State Election Commissioner has taken a political and ideological turn, with the opposition LDF intensifying its attack on the V D Satheesan government over its alleged soft stance towards the Sangh Parivar. The LDF, which has been targeting the government over its support to the PM SHRI scheme, has now sought to link the appointment controversy to its broader charge that the government is accommodating the Sangh Parivar.
The opposition has drawn strength from the public opposition of KPCC general secretary P M Niyas to the appointment of N Seshadrinathan as the State Election Commissioner. CPM state secretary M V Govindan alleged that the appointment is yet another example of the government’s pro-Sangh Parivar approach. LDF leaders believe that criticism from within the Congress lends greater credibility to their campaign, particularly among the Muslim minority.
Meanwhile, further deepening the unease within the Congress over the appointment, Niyas has sought the intervention of the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, urging him to ensure that the cabinet decision to appoint Seshadrinathan is withdrawn. He has also written to Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge seeking the party leadership’s intervention.
On Tuesday, Niyas, who had publicly opposed the appointment of Seshadrinathan as the State Election Commissioner, met Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala. “Chennithala told me that the proposal was placed before the cabinet as an out-of-agenda item and that he, therefore, could not verify the facts,” Niyas told TNIE.
Niyas reiterated that the cabinet decision should be withdrawn and said he would continue his campaign against the appointment.
Apart from Minister K M Shaji, no other minister has publicly defended the chief minister over the issue.
Although Niyas is widely regarded as being close to AICC general secretary K C Venugopal, no other leaders associated with Venugopal have publicly backed his stand. Party sources said both the Venugopal and Chennithala camps have adopted a strategic approach by refraining from openly criticising either the government or the chief minister.
Meanwhile, leaders close to Satheesan maintained that decisions are taken collectively in consultation with the cabinet and the UDF leadership.
“Ordinary party workers and the public have high expectations of the government,” a KPCC office-bearer close to Satheesan said.
“The government needs time to rectify its mistakes. People will not take lightly an all-out attack against Satheesan at this stage. This is a cooling off period for the government. Niyas has his own agenda,” he added.
According to Congress leaders from Kozhikode, Satheesan had reprimanded Niyas during the Chelakkara by-election campaign which in turn created a rift between them.
Meanwhile, Kozhikode DCC general secretary Shajir Arfat Karat, in a Facebook post, appealed that no one should, for narrow political interests, drag people of integrity and public standing, including members of the judiciary, into the Sangh Parivar camp.
However, many senior KPCC office-bearers and MLAs from Kozhikode, cutting across factional lines, are understood to support Niyas’ allegations. They claimed that similar discrepancies were evident in the appointment of the chief secretary, alleging that the appointment was made despite complaints against the officer.
Some leaders also alleged that corporate interests were influencing key appointments. They further claimed that the chief minister’s preferred choice for the post of ADGP (Law and Order) was not P Vijayan. “However, the home minister did not agree with the chief minister’s proposal,” a Congress leader said.