How Satheesan got sulking Chennithala on board in Kerala

THE CABINET formation of the newly elected Congress-led UDF government in Kerala gained momentum on Saturday after senior Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala decided to join the V D Satheesan team.

Chennithala, who lost in the race to the Chief Minister’s post, decided to join the Cabinet after CM-designate Satheesan expressed his readiness to surrender the home portfolio to the senior leader, said sources.

Satheesan, who has already extended an olive branch to the upset leaders in the party, held discussions with Chennithala twice in two days. AICC general secretary K C Venugopal and former KPCC president K Sudhakaran also met Chennithala to convince him to join the Cabinet.

After meeting the senior leaders, Chennithala told the media, "I am a true Congress leader who acts as per the direction of the party.” Satheesan chipped in, “No one is unnecessarily stubborn”.

The Congress has not officially announced the names of ministers in the 21-member Cabinet, including the Chief Minister. AICC general secretary in-charge of Kerala Deepa Dasmunsi said discussions are still going on. The final list of the UDF ministers will be handed over to Governor Rajendra Arlekar on Sunday.

The IUML, the second leading ally in the UDF, has demanded five Cabinet berths, regional Christian party Kerala Congress has sought two and other allies want one each. The Congress has not announced whether the IUML will be allotted five Cabinet slots or not.

From the Congress camp, names doing the rounds for Cabinet berths are K Muraleedharan, Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan, A P Anil Kumar, Sunny Joseph, P C Vishnunath, Chandy Oommen, M Liju and Bindu Krishna. The Congress ministers will be selected after giving due representation to the camps of Satheesan, Chennithala and Venugopal, besides regional and community factors, said the sources.

Shaju Philip is a Senior Assistant Editor at The Indian Express Read More