Old rants about chief whip's post returns to haunt LDF

Thiruvananthapuram: The ruling Left Democratic Front in Kerala is in a fix over the chief whip's post.

The CPM-led front's troubles began after previous statements of the top leader of the CPI, the second largest constituent in the ruling front, hinted at the “needlessness” of the post.

The opposition United Democratic Front is also up in arms, flaying the ruling front for lambasting the previous government's decision to accord cabinet rank to the then chief whip P C George.

Legal expert Sebastian Paul, who was an MP elected with the LDF's backing, even termed it as “dual post conferment” to George, who was then with the Kerala Congress (Mani).

That led to legal battle, following which the then UDF regime promulgated an ordinance that validated the constitutionality of the post of chief whip to hold the Cabinet rank.

It was against that backdrop that CPI state secretary Kanam Rajendran had made a crucial statement ahead of the May 2016 formation of the Pinarayi Vijayan government in which his party is an ally.

Rajendran had at that time, on behalf of the LDF, declared that the new regime would not have a chief whip. The reason cited was that every party in the front anyway had its own whip. Also, abolishing the chief whip for the front will save the government that much share of money, he announced on May 24, the eve of the Pinarayi Cabinet assuming power.

When the LDF decided to bring back CPM legislator E P Jayarajan to the ministry after being removed from the Cabinet in October 2016 on charges of nepotism, the re-induction found support from the CPI as well.

This, when the CPI had at one point resisted moves to increase the number of ministers in the Pinarayi cabinet to accommodate Jayarajan, amid a vigilance probe against him and subsequent clearance of all charges by a court.

The CPI insisted on removing a CPM legislator as minister to accommodate Jayarayan, 68.

The CPI took the argument a step further to say that it merited an additional minister if the Pinarayi regime had decided to raise the cabinet strength.

The two Communist parties then discussed a way out of this deadlock. The solution that emerged was to bring back the post of chief whip.

Ever since its inception , Kerala has had a chief whip in every government, though it was only from 1982 (Dr K C Joseph of the Kerala Congress) that the post was accorded the Cabinet rank.

The A K Antony government had in 2001 given the chief whip the charge of parliamentary affairs as well. Then, the V S Achuthanandan government (2006-11) continued with the norm.

The Chandy regime’s chief whip earned particular political focus because of KC(M) legislator George’s particular insistence on the extra powers he had demanded.

Piquantly, it is the CPI today that is facing the same degree of political heat from its rivals, including the KC(M), which is now back with the UDF after quitting the front during a brief period.

George, the MLA from Poonjar in Kottayam constituency, had repeatedly been at the loggerheads with the UDF when the front was ruling, over the issue of chief whip.

When he eventually exited from the KC(M) and the UDF altogether, the Congress-led front made Thomas Unniyadan of KC (M) the chief whip.

What’s chief whip?

It’s a critical post tasked with ensuring that the ruling party enjoys majority at any given time. The chief whip issues the diktat to fellow MLAs of the ruling segment on whom to vote for when there is a test on the floor of the assembly.

The chief whip enjoys all the privileges allowed to a Cabinet minister, the Speaker and deputy speaker. These include salary, perks, vehicle and accommodation. These apply to the chief whip's personal staff as well.

P C George had, in his 2011-15 tenure as the chief whip in the UDF government, inducted no less than 25 officials in his personal staff. As criticism rose over the huge numbers, he chucked some of them, only to re-induct them later.