THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Transport Minister KB Ganesh Kumar on Tuesday delivered what he described as a "farewell" speech to Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) employees here, amid calls for his resignation over infidelity allegations raised by his wife.
The minister arrived nearly two hours late for the event, which marked the inauguration of KSRTC's first hospital. Kumar came directly after a meeting with Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan to explain the reconciliation with his wife. Despite speculations that he might be asked to resign, Kumar continued in office.
However, the strain of the controversy was evident on his face. The minister, who is no stranger to controversies, appeared far removed from the easy demeanour usually associated with him.
He refused to react to the media on the controversy. He toured the hospital facilities, including the dialysis and laboratory units, before addressing the gathering. Toward the end of his speech, he referred to the ongoing controversy and called the address his "farewell speech."
"People thought I would resign today without attending this programme. There are only five or six days left for the ministry. Once the election is announced, a minister has no real value," he said, referring to the expected announcement from the Election Commission of India.
He also voiced displeasure over the way the media had covered the controversy.
"For the past two days, media outlets have been hounding me. I have always been nice to them. But they did the same thing last time, and now they have repeated it,' he said, referring to the earlier controversy that led to his resignation from the government headed by Oommen Chandy.
On a lighter note, he added that he was cutting down on sugar to stay fit for campaigning in the hilly terrain of the Pathanapuram constituency.