Leaders disagree on KPCC chief as a minister

Thiruvananthapuram: A comment by Sree Narayana Dharma Paripalana Yogam (SNDP)general secretary Vellappally Natesan that the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee president Ramesh Chennithala should ideally be in the Oommen Chandy ministry, has drawn sharply divided opinion from different political leaders in the state.

In the latest reaction to the suggestion, K. Muraleedharan, Congress MLA and son of former chief minister K. Karunakaran, said if Chennithala were to be a minister, it would create “twin centres of power”, and that he was against the idea. Muraleedharan said community leaders were of course free to air their opinion.

Muraleedharan added that there was no need to discuss a cabinet expansion at this time, and that a decision on that matter ought to be taken by the party high command.

Shortly after Vellappally Natesan made his comment, Nair Service Society general secretary G. Sukumaran Nair had stated that he was in agreement to Natesan’s suggestion. The government’s chief whip, P.C. George also supported the suggestion, stating that Chennithala would fit the bill to be chief minister.

Chennithala himself was ambivalent to the suggestion, stating that if he had wanted to be a minister he could have done so years ago.