Kerala Assembly session to resume tomorrow amid appointment row

The Kerala Assembly Budget session resuming on Monday is likely to be stormy as the Opposition is set to raise the appointment controversy which rocked the CPI(M)-led LDF government leading to the resignation of a minister.

Industries Minister EP Jayarajan who posted some of his relatives in key positions in public sector units resigned on October 14, dealing a blow to the 142-day-old Pinarayi Vijayan government.

Indicating that the session is likely to be stormy, Congress-led UDF Opposition has made it clear that the 'nepotism' row would not end with Jayarajan's resignation.

Leader of the Opposition Ramesh Chennithala has called for a detailed probe into the appointment row and demanded that the office of the Chief Minister also be brought into the ambit of the investigation.

It was not possible for Jayarajan to appoint his relatives in PSUs without the knowledge of the Chief Minister, he said.

"We will continue the fight against the anti-people policies of the LDF government inside and outside the Assembly," Chennithala said.

The strategy to be adopted in the Assembly would be decided at a UDF meeting on Monday, he said.

Besides the appointment row, the political murders in Kannur and self-financing medical colleges fees and admission issue would also be taken up by the UDF.

However, the government is confident that it would be able to face the Opposition challenge with the resignation of Jayarajan.

While permitting the resignation of Jayarajan, party strongman from Kannur, CPI-M had stated that Jayarajan wanted to resign to"uphold the party's image and set an exemplary model in contrast to the previous Congress-led UDF government".

LDF in a bid to turn the tables on UDF, has also said that all appointments made during the previous UDF rule would be looked into.

The full-fledged Budget session of the Assembly that began on September 26 ended on a stormy note on October 5 with the UDF stepping up pressure over the self-financing private medical college fees and admission issue.

The UDF members had disrupted and later boycotted the proceedings over the issue.

The session is resuming after more than a week-long pooja holidays.