Kerala, 19 May (H.S):Barely a day after the V.D. Satheesan-led UDF government assumed office in Kerala, disagreements over the allocation of ministerial portfolios have emerged as the first major challenge before the new administration, raising concerns over delays in finalising the Cabinet structure.
According to highly placed UDF sources, the inability of ministers and coalition partners to arrive at a consensus on key portfolios has slowed down the process of government formation, prompting intervention from the Congress high command to prevent the issue from escalating further.
The dispute is understood to have intensified after senior Congress leaders and ministers A.P. Anil Kumar and K. Muraleedharan remained unwilling to back down from their claims over the Health and Devaswom portfolios. Sources said the deadlock reached a stage where intervention from the All India Congress Committee (AICC) became necessary to avoid the possibility of public disagreement within the ruling alliance.
UDF insiders said the government has not yet forwarded the final list of ministerial portfolios to Lok Bhavan, the Governor’s office, due to the unresolved issues. Officials indicated that a formal notification on portfolio allocation can be issued only after the Governor receives and approves the final list.
Although the Governor is reportedly away from Thiruvananthapuram on Tuesday, officials suggested that consultations could be held remotely and the necessary approval obtained for issuing the notification.
Congress sources said that during the initial discussions between Chief Minister Satheesan and the KPCC leadership, there was broad agreement to allocate the Health and Devaswom departments to A.P. Anil Kumar. However, matters reportedly became complicated during the final phase of negotiations after Satheesan was said to have backed K. Muraleedharan for the same portfolios.
Another contentious issue involves the allocation of the Fisheries portfolio to the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML). While the League is reportedly insisting on Fisheries if Higher Education is to remain with Congress, sections within Congress and representatives of the Latin Catholic community are said to be opposing the move.
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Hindusthan Samachar / Arun Lakshman
