All new faces in CM Vijayan Cabinet, Shailaja dropped

KK Shailaja, however, told reporters that it was a party decision and that she will abide by it in letter and spirit. “The party made me a minister five years ago and I did my job. It was a collective job, not a personality-oriented one. People should give the same support to the new team,” she said.

Kerala health minister K K Shailaja, who was the face of the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic, on Tuesday did not find a place in the new Cabinet as the ruling Communist Party of India (Marxist) sprang a surprise by dropping all ministers to induct new faces.

Several political observers said Shailaja’s popularity has now come on the way and the party will be required to explain its decision. (ANI file photo)

Barring Vijayan, all his team members were dropped from the new Cabinet. The swearing-in ceremony is slated to be held on Thursday.

Shailaja, however, told reporters that it was a party decision and that she will abide by it in letter and spirit. “The party made me a minister five years ago and I did my job. It was a collective job, not a personality-oriented one. People should give the same support to the new team,” she said.

Reports suggest that Veena George, a former journalist who was listed for the new Cabinet, is likely to get the health department.

While some leaders in the party secretariat reportedly favoured a second term for Shailaja, others opposed it saying that since the Cabinet was going to consist of new faces, there should be no room for any exception.

Reports suggest that several senior party leaders, including Brinda Karat, expressed reservations over her exclusion from the new Cabinet.

Several political observers said Shailaja’s popularity has now come on the way and the party will be required to explain its decision.

“It is a sad development. In the name of fresh blood, the most popular face was axed. The effective handling of the pandemic situation was one of the reasons for the party’s return to power. If the whole team was changed, it should have been applicable to the captain as well,” political commentator N M Pearson said.

Another political analyst, N P Chekutty, said: “While making a new government, usually continuity and freshness are ensured. But this time, only freshness is there.”

However, Politburo members M A Baby and S Ramachandran Pillai said the “party has taken a well thought-out decision” that was unanimous.

CPI(M) leader A N Shamseer MLA also defended the party’s decision, saying: “It is a policy decision. In (a) party, (an) individual never matters. Only the CPI(M) can experiment (with) such things.”

Shailaja’s popularity was visible in the recently-concluded assembly elections as well after she emerged victorious from Mattannur constituency in Kannur district with a majority of over 60,000 votes, the highest margin in the state. After the chief minister, she proved to be the biggest crowd-puller in the state. In several pre-poll surveys, she had emerged as the second most popular political figure after Vijayan.

The public health crisis brought the best out of the physics teacher in the last five years - whether it was the Nipah outbreak in 2018 or Covid-19 two years later, she was always at the forefront of the battle.

“The new ministry formation proved yet again that all powers are concentrated on a single person --Pinarayi Vijayan. In a democracy, it is not a healthy trend,” Revolutionary Socialist Party leader and Lok Sabha MP N K Premachandran said.

The ruling party’s decision also triggered an outrage on social media.

“Dropping Shailaja Teacher would create huge perceptual problems, nationally and internationally, and common people, as well as health staff, are already feeling orphaned. Sincerely wish there will rethink on the issue,” writer and former bureaucrat N S Madhavan tweeted.

“What the party did to K R Gowri Amma in 1980s, they repeated it to Shailaja,” another tweet read.

Several questioned the retention of the captain when the entire ministry was changed.

“Vijayan has scripted history but Shailaja has taken away the glory,” another netizen tweeted.

Meanwhile, the chief minister’s son-in-law P A Mohamad Riyas and R Bindu, wife of party’s acting secretary A Vijayaraghavan, were among the new faces inducted by the party.

Besides Veena George, Professor R Bindu, a district committee member of the party, was among the two women who figured on the CPI(M)’s list.

Other ministers on the list are M V Govindan, K Radhakrishnan, P Rajeev, K N Balagopal, V Sivankutty, V N Vasavan, Saji Cherian, Mohamad Riyas and V Abdul Rahaman.

Former Lok Sabha MP M B Rajesh will be the new Assembly Speaker.

The chief minister is slated to announce the portfolios after the swearing-in ceremony on Thursday.

Among 20 ministerial slots, the lead party CPI(M) will get 12 of them, CPI four, and Kerala Congress( Mani) and Janata Dal (Secular) will get one each. Junior partner CPI has also announced its four ministers, all new faces, i.e. K Rajan, P Prasad, J R Anil and Chinju Rani.

Four other smaller parties with single MLAs will get berths on rotational basis, the first two will become ministers for 30 months and the remaining two will be elevated in the next 30 months.

While several organisations and parties have asked for a virtual swearing-in ceremony amid the pandemic, the government has decided to go ahead with a physical ceremony with 500 invitees.

With the new ministry, Vijayan has cemented his position well in the party and government again.

During the elections, several senior leaders like finance minister Thomas Iassac and PWD minister G Sudhakaran were denied seats on the grounds that the party had decided not to issue fresh tickets to sitting legislators who have completed two terms.