THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Congress move to stake a claim to the chair of the Administrative Reforms Commission has thrown the UDF government’s cabinet rank allocation into fresh disarray, putting Chief Minister V D Satheesan in a difficult position amid growing differences with the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML).
The post was more or less settled for veteran League leader M K Muneer as part of the power-sharing arrangements within the ruling front. However, the Congress leadership’s fresh claim to the post has reopened negotiations over cabinet rank positions.
“The League was guaranteed this post during the discussions on cabinet formation,” an IUML leader said.
“Though the party had the right to ask for a sixth cabinet berth considering the assembly arithmetic, we agreed to a compromise as leaders such as Satheesan assured us of a cabinet rank post.”
Besides the League, the Kerala Congress (Joseph) has also staked a claim to the same post for its chairman P J Joseph. After intense manoeuvring, the latter decided to settle for another post.
However, when the issue was brought up for discussion in the Congress, all senior leaders reportedly opined that a key post such as the Administrative Reforms Commission chairperson should remain with the party.
Though Satheesan raised the assurance given to the IUML, KPCC president Sunny Joseph, Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala and the KPCC working presidents agreed with the majority opinion.
The names of several leaders have come up for key cabinet rank posts, including former KPCC president M M Hassan, K C Joseph, P J Kurien and MP K Sudhakaran.
“Congress has 63 MLAs in this assembly compared to 21 in 2021,” said a former KPCC president.
“The party also has senior leaders who chose not to contest the assembly election to make way for first-time contenders. Leaders such as K C Joseph and P J Kurien have the credentials for the post,” he added.
There is also a strong opinion in the Congress that an important post such as this should be kept with the main constituent party. The Congress is looking to accommodate a large number of senior leaders who were left out of the assembly in government positions.
The division within the Congress has put Satheesan in a delicate position. According to leaders close to him, any move to deny the post to the League could reopen questions over the power-sharing understanding reached with the party, while conceding the position could trigger fresh resentment within the Congress.
The uncertainty over reaching a consensus between the Congress and the League has also affected the future of other proposed cabinet rank posts.
Satheesan in a fix
The division within the Congress has put Satheesan in a delicate position. According to leaders close to him, any move to deny the post to the League could reopen questions over the power-sharing understanding reached with the party, while conceding the position could trigger fresh resentment within the Congress.