Advertisement

Updated April 10th, 2021 at 10:03 IST

Congress' Ramesh Chennithala demands KT Jaleel's resignation, quips instance of 'nepotism'

Kerala's Leader of Oppn Ramesh Chennithala demanded the resignation of minority affairs minister KT Jaleel after Lokayukta asked him to step down as Minister

Reported by: Koushik Narayanan
PTI
PTI | Image:self
Advertisement

Kerala's Leader of Opposition Ramesh Chennithala demanded the resignation of minority affairs minister KT Jaleel after the Lokayukta him to step down as a cabinet minister for appointing his second cousin to head a government body. Slamming the LDF government after Lokayukta asked Jaleel to step down, the Congress leader claimed that it was an instance of nepotsim and corruption and noted that the Lokayukta had clearly mentioned the minority affairs Minister's involvement. Chennithala urged CM Pinarayi Vijayan to ask for T Jaleel's resignation and dismiss him from the cabinet, thereby following the Lokayukta's verdict. 

Lokayukta asks KT Jaleel to step down

The Lokayukta pulled up Jaleel for appointing his second cousin K.T. Adeeb as general manager of the Kerala State Minority Development Finance Corporation (KSMDFC) in 2018. A complaint was filed by V.K. Muhammad Shafi, a public interest litigant from Malappuram district.  As per reports, earlier in February, Jaleel's name was mired in controversy after he allegedly intervened in an unauthorised appointment of a teacher in  St Xavier’s College in Thiruvananthapuram. Jaleel allegedly directed the Vice-Chancellor of the university to appoint Fr Dr V Y Dasappan, who is the Latin teacher and principal of Thumba St Xavier’s College, as an English teacher, as per local reports. However, the University rejected Jaleel's request stating that UGC rules do not allow changing a teacher from the subject department in which he/she was appointed first.

Kerala poll battle

While Congress has allied with Left in Bengal, in Kerala, the Congress-led UDF is the main contender to the Left-led LDF. Kicking off its 'Aishwarya Kerala Yatra', Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala has vowed to bring legislation to protect the rights of the Ayyappa devotees when the UDF is voted to power. Rahul Gandhi has also visited the state multiple times, campaigning for UDF, amid massive revolt over ticket allocation. Congress has repeatedly called for CM Pinarayi Vijayan's resignation over a host of issues - Gold smuggling probe, Sandalwood probe, COVID handling, Sabarimala issue, Sprinklr row, Police social media order etc. Sadly, it has also seen several key leaders' exit including veteran PC Chacko due to 'internal factionalism'.

On the other hand, Kerala BJP pushed "Metro Man" E Sreedharan as its CM face after Sreedharan officially joined BJP in the presence of Union Minister RK Singh at Changaramkulam's 'Vijaya Yatra' on February 25. While BJP's core committee has not announced him as CM pick, PM Narendra Modi held a rally in Palakkad canvassing votes for Sreedharan. BJP has been making a big push for Kerala, urging voters to give BJP a chance instead of the consecutive UDF & LDF regimes. Polls were held across all 140 seats on April 6 and results will be announced on May 2.

Advertisement

Published April 10th, 2021 at 10:03 IST

Your Voice. Now Direct.

Send us your views, we’ll publish them. This section is moderated.

Advertisement
Advertisement

Trending Quicks

Bengaluru Protest
a few seconds ago
Chhattisgarh: Two Naxalites Killed In Encounter With Security Forces
a few seconds ago
NEET Exam Success with iDreamCareer: Your Path to Medical School Admission
a few seconds ago
Sita Soren
5 minutes ago
PM Modi in Salem, Tamil Nadu
12 minutes ago
US Biden Austin Hospitalisation
16 minutes ago
Hong Kong leader John Lee
17 minutes ago
Google account block
25 minutes ago
Election
27 minutes ago
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Whatsapp logo