THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A section of members of the CPI state council aired their displeasure over the decision of not having regular Cabinet briefings. Though officially the CPI leadership has not approved of such criticism of the government, during the discussions held at the state council meeting a couple of members felt that restricting Cabinet briefing had created a wrong impression among people. The members said that there was also an impression that the decision to drop regular briefings was taken unilaterally.
There was also an attempt to raise the issue of former legal advisor to chief minister, M.K. Damodaran who had to opt out amid huge controversy. Sources said CPI state secretary Kanam Rajendran intervened to prevent the discussion saying that there was no point in taking up issues which had already been sorted out. Many in the LDF camp believe that cabinet briefings apart from being a platform for announcing decisions, is also a medium to convey politics of the government, its stand on many social political issues and ideological perceptions.
But by not doing so the people are being deprived of such vital information and the perspective of the government on crucial issues. The practice of regular cabinet briefings has been there since the time of E.K. Nayanar. It was continued by A.K. Antony, V.S. Achuthanandan and Oommen Chandy. The chief minister’s decision to stop the practice of customary weekly meetings all of a sudden has also given an impression that the government is not keen on communicating with the people.
