THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: With Vigilance deciding to conduct preliminary inquiry, Chief Minister and party leadership refusing to defend controversial appointments, Industries Minister E.P. Jayarajan has expressed his willingness to step down. The minister met CPM state secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan at the AKG Centre and conveyed his readiness to quit. The minister is understood to have told the secretary that he would prefer to step down rather than embarrass the government and party further.
Mr Jayarajan admitted that certain lapses had happened on his part and he never expected these issues to snowball into a major controversy. The minister has made up his mind to step down on the eve of crucial state secretariat meeting of CPM to be held at AKG Centre on Friday which will discuss the controversial appointments. Sources said the resignation is likely to be announced by the party leadership after the state secretariat meeting.
Earlier at the meeting with Mr Kodiyeri, which went on for nearly two hours, Mr Jayarajan explained his position on the appointments. As the CPM state secretary had called for details regarding all appointments, the minster came prepared with his explanation. Later, Chief Minister and Mr Kodiyeri held a separate meeting to assess the situation. What has upset the state leadership is the manner in which Mr Jayarajan appointed people against whom party had earlier raised objections when the list of persons for various posts of industries department came up for clearance.
The Chief Minister’s displeasure over the controversial appointments was witnessed during Cabinet meeting. When Mr Jayarajan tried to justify the appointments, Mr Pinarayi stopped him saying such matters need not be discussed. This clearly indicated that the leadership and the government is cut up with Mr Jayarajan. However, a section of party leaders believe that drastic decisions like dropping Mr Jayarajan from the Cabinet or relieving him of party positions would be too harsh.
The other options are divesting him of industries portfolio, issuing warning or censuring him publicly. Mr Jayarajan is likely to get isolated in the state secretariat meeting. Even LDF allies NCP and Congress (S) have expressed the view that the minister should step down owning moral responsibility for the controversial appointments that had taken place in the industries department.
