Kerala cabinet shuffle unlikely
Top leaders pre-occupied with more vital matters
By : cynthia chandran
Update: 2014-08-05 06:36 GMT
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The prospects of a cabinet reshuffle have receded with KPCC president V.M. Suddheeran and Chief Minister Oommen Chandy postponing talks on the issue and Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala urging the AICC leadership against a reshuffle now. Former forest minister K.B. Ganesh Kumar is also unlikely to rejoin the cabinet soon.
Mr Sudheeran, after his return from the US, has been busy with the elections scheduled for August 10 in the 21,458 booth committees in the state.
“Both leaders are busy with their respective jobs and an appropriate time is yet to be found for a meeting between each other. Chennithala too will be present when they hold talks on the reshuffle. He will iterate his opposition to a cabinet expansion and the reinduction of Mr Ganesh Kumar,” a KPCC spokesperson told DC.
Top leaders of the ‘I’ camp are happy with the outcome of the talks held by Mr Chennithala with Congress president Sonia Gandhi and vice-president Rahul Gandhi.
A few months back, KPCC general secretary K. P. Anil Kumar had sent a letter to Mr Chandy against the re-entry of Mr Ganesh Kumar. But Mr Chandy did not reply to him. A senior ‘I’ group leader told DC that Mr Chandy is keen to boost the image of his cabinet.
“But why include an already tainted former minister in the cabinet to regain the image? It has been decided that single MLA parties should be given a cabinet berth. In that context, KC (B) chairman R. Balakrishna Pillai has already been holding the chairman post of forward caste commission which is a cabinet rank,” said a Congress leader.