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Ex-Minister Radhakrishnan rejects row over non-allocation of Devaswom portfolio for Kelu
Ex-Minister Radhakrishnan rejects row over non-allocation of Devaswom portfolio for Kelu
Thiruvananthapuram, CPI central committee member and former Kerala Minister K Radhakrishnan on Sunday justified the Left Democratic Front's decision not to give the Devaswom portfolio, which had been handled by him, to party MLA O R Kelu.
Kelu will replace Radhakrishnan and take oath as a minister in the Pinarayi Vijayan Cabinet on Sunday evening at a special ceremony to be held at the Raj Bhavan here.
Radhakrishnan had resigned as Minister for Welfare of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, Parliamentary Affairs and Devaswom after being elected to the Lok Sabha from the Alathur constituency.
Meanwhile, other political parties have criticised the Left government for not reportedly handing over the Devaswom portfolio to Kelu.
Talking to a television channel, Radhakrishnan said irrespective of portfolios, what is more important is his entry into the state cabinet as a minister.
"As far Kelu is concerned, it is for the first time that a person belonging to the tribal community is becoming a minister. We should see that merit first," he said.
He also said there might be differences in the portfolio but what is more important is that he could become a minister from Wayanad.
Radhakrishnan said newcomers should become capable of handling the portfolios assigned to them and the present portfolio is entrusted with Kelu with an expectation that he would handle it well.
A 54-year-old CPI leader from a tribal community in Wayanad, Kelu was recently recommended by the CPI state committee to be inducted as a minister in the LDF cabinet.
Although there is a clear indication that Kelu will get the portfolio of Welfare of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, sources said there would be a minor shuffle in the portfolios previously held by Radhakrishnan.
The Congress-led opposition UDF on Saturday said it was a wrong decision on the part of the LDF government to not give the Devaswom portfolio to Kelu.
Leader of Opposition in the Assembly V D Satheesan said Chief Minister Vijayan who rightly opposed the non-appointment of Congress MP Kodikunnil Suresh as pro-tem Speaker in the Lok Sabha, took a different stand when it came to Kelu.
"That is a wrong decision. The state government showed the same attitude in Kelu's case as the Centre did when it did not make Suresh, the senior most MP in the Lok Sabha, the pro-tem Speaker," he said.
This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
