THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Amid a political storm, Rathan U Kelkar assumed office as the secretary to Chief Minister V D Satheesan on Sunday. Though it was a holiday, he took charge on the day reportedly on the instructions of the chief minister.
The appointment of Kelkar, who had been serving as Kerala’s chief electoral officer, as the chief minister’s secretary has triggered sharp criticism from the opposition.
The CPM alleged that the appointment was similar to a controversial move in West Bengal and hinted at a possible “deal” between the Election Commission and the Congress, demanding a probe into it.
CPM state secretary M V Govindan said the appointment had put the Congress national leadership in a difficult position. He pointed out that the Congress had strongly opposed the appointment of Manoj Agarwal, the-then chief electoral officer in West Bengal, as chief secretary by the BJP government in the state. Govindan noted that Rahul Gandhi himself had criticised the Bengal appointment, but the Congress was now unable to take a similar stand in Kerala.
Calling it a decision taken solely with the knowledge of the chief minister, Govindan said the Congress was in no position either to justify or oppose the move. He also alleged that details regarding any “deal” behind the appointment would emerge soon.
When Agarwal was appointed the chief secretary, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi had said in an X post: “In the BJP-EC’s ‘chor bazaar’, the bigger the theft, the bigger the reward.”
Referring to the comment, the CPM and the BJP asked Rahul to clarify if his views were the same following Kelkar’s appointment. LDF convener T P Ramakrishnan described the appointment as “highly mysterious”.
Meanwhile, BJP legislator and former Union Minister V Muraleedharan accused the Congress of “double standards”. Muraleedharan, the new Kazhakkoottam MLA, termed the move “suspicious” and asked whether the administrative appointment was a “favour returned” for assisting the UDF in winning 100 seats in the state assembly.
“When the BJP wins, Congress alleges vote theft and EVM manipulation. But when Congress wins, the chief electoral officer becomes an efficient official. People of Kerala should recognise this double standard,” he told reporters at the BJP state headquarters in Thiruvananthapuram.
Describing the appointment as another example of Congress’ “opportunistic politics”, he claimed that people in Thiruvananthapuram view recent postings as rewards based on personal interests.
BJP IT Cell chief Amit Malviya questioned Rahul’s silence on the issue. Referring to the West Bengal controversy, Malviya said Rahul had earlier termed such appointments as part of “vote theft”, but was now remaining silent. Malviya also alleged that Kelkar continues to hold the post of chief electoral officer, a position that is expected to function impartially. He questioned whether Rahul’s “moral outrage” depended only on which party was in power.
“If Rahul did not view Kelkar’s appointment similar to Agarwal’s, the Congress leader should apologise to the people and the chief minister of West Bengal,” Muraleedharan said.
He also referred to Satheesan’s remarks before the elections that he would go into political exile if the UDF failed to win more than 100 seats.
“Does that mean he had assurances of support from those conducting the elections, including regarding the number of seats,” he asked.
‘Double standards’
Opposition calls out Congress’ criticism of similar appointment in West Bengal
Leaders, including M V Govindan, T P Ramakrishnan, and V Muraleedharan expressed dissent