Board, corporation posts trigger fresh discontent in Congress; leaders seek bigger role

Thiruvananthapuram: Discontent is brewing within the Congress over appointments to boards and corporations, with a group of senior leaders joining hands to demand a greater say in the selection process. The move comes as coalition partners have begun securing positions while uncertainty continues over the Congress' share of appointments.

The leaders, most of whom were earlier associated with the A group, met recently with a resolve to act as a united force, even though they do not intend to publicly revive group politics. They are opposed to attempts to sideline leaders associated with the A group by projecting it as an inactive faction.

Benny Behanan, K C Joseph and M M Hasan are senior leaders from the A group. However, in the current Congress equations, Minister P C Vishnunath and KPCC working president Shafi Parambil are also considered close to K C Venugopal. The leaders had aligned themselves with Venugopal during the discussions on the selection of the Chief Minister.

The group wants to be involved in decisions on board and corporation appointments. If the leadership fails to respond favourably, the leaders are also considering approaching Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge in Delhi with their complaints.

The discontent is not confined to the A group, as leaders aligned with Venugopal are also unhappy with the way appointments are being handled. The proposed move could therefore bring the two sections together on the issue.

The leaders maintain that appointments should not be decided solely through discussions involving Chief Minister V D Satheesan, KPCC president Sunny Joseph and Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala. They insist that KPCC working presidents A P Anil Kumar, P C Vishnunath and Shafi Parambil should also be consulted before decisions are taken.

M M Hassan said the delay in appointments to boards and corporations had caused dissatisfaction not just among A-group leaders but across the Congress, including party workers.

Kappan unhappy over denial of Cabinet-rank post
Pala MLA Mani C Kappan has also expressed displeasure to Chief Minister V D Satheesan over not being considered for a Cabinet-rank position.

Kappan reportedly met the Chief Minister a few days ago and questioned why he had been overlooked while the Indian Union Muslim League and the Forward Bloc were granted Cabinet-rank positions. He has sought the post of vice-chairman of NORKA with Cabinet rank.

During the meeting, Kappan pointed out that the CMP, represented by C P John, and the Kerala Congress (Jacob), represented by Anoop Jacob, had been given ministerial positions despite having only one MLA each. The Forward Bloc's G Devarajan had also been granted Cabinet rank.

He argued that he had repeatedly won from Pala and had defeated a prominent leader of a major LDF constituent party after joining the UDF. He described the victory as a political gain for the front and said he should not be treated differently from other coalition partners.

Congress sources said consideration of a Cabinet-rank position for Kappan had been delayed due to an order issued by a Mumbai court in a case related to financial transactions. Kappan, however, maintains that he has since secured a favourable order from a higher court, but a decision on his appointment is still pending.

When Kappan sought the chairmanship of a board or corporation, the Chief Minister reportedly told him that parties with only one MLA would not be given chairperson posts and could instead be accommodated as members.

Kappan said he would have no objection if the CMP, Kerala Congress (Jacob) and the Forward Bloc were also denied chairperson positions.