VS-Pinarayi machinations, Ramesh Chennithala’s Cabinet entry overtaken by Sreesanth

Leave it to the courts, but in Kerala we have been daily gulping down news of machinations on either side of V.S.Achuthanandan and Pinarayi Vijayan who are no doubt powerful personalities.

On the UDF side, it bas been ‘to be or not to be’ for Ramesh Chennithala. For a long time, the Congress high command seems to have been prodding him to join the Oommen Chandy Cabinet, but he has been reticent.

He has been KPCC president for eight years and no one knows how long he could cling on. In two other states similar incumbents who competed six years have been replaced.

The news items on his dilly-dallying have been burdening the public. Sad state of affairs, indeed, that NSS publicly admonishes him together with Oommen Chandy. But he may gravitate towards NSS one way or other. It cannot be otherwise.

Sreesanth has been in the news nationally, but not internationally (BBC did not even mention it on its website) for a despicable reason.

No doubt, he should not be dubbed a criminal until proved guilty, and it is very difficult to prove this in a court of law. Audio clippings are not prime pieces of evidence. After going through a rigmarole of court proceedings, he may or may not come out clean.

The very powerful Sanjay Dutt could not come out unscathed, but that was terrorism sort of wrong.

Money is not everything. Sreesanth, grow up

Money has value only for meeting necessities. Great billionaires say they have no use with their money.

Spot fixing and betting have spoiled Sreesanth, it seems.

Let us hope such things had not happened with Sreesanth,

But the law is a law; Evidence should be crucial

Shocking we say, but when murkier things unravel one after the other we may be immune to shock.

Early morning news item was about the arrest of Kerala’s pacer S.Sreesanth and two other players, plus seven agents of the betting syndicate, by Delhi police.

Sreesanth and three betting men were held together from the Trident Hotel at Nariman Point, Mumbai.

Conspiracy and cheating charges are framed against Sreesanth and others.

People say Sreesanth is a gullible person who can easily be influenced by interested people. But then, Sreesanth, we have to grow up. 

No one can say Oommen Chandy is an inactive Chief Minister

It is easy to criticise, scribes and Opposition parties and even friendly parties take vibes against certain actions of the ruling dispensation.  It is always like that and great ruling party leaders at least tolerate such chiding. On the occasion when the Oommen Chandy Government in Kerala is entering the third year of its administration on May 18, no one can say that the Chief Minister is inactive. He is always on the move and whenever he accosts a problem of the people, he has ideas to solve the woes, meaning he does not toe the line of creating bureaucratic hurdles. When one listens to the Sutharya Keralam programme when people can air their grievances, the very specific suggestions given by the Chief Minister underscores his problem-solving skills, to the advantage of the people. It is true, during the first year of his governance there were programmes which could grab the limelight at one go, like 100-day programme, mass contact programme, by-election results and the like. In the second year, he was struggling to get clearance for long-term projects like Kochi Metro, Smart City, Mono Rail. He says all these programmes would be completed on time.  If successful, such projects are unique to the state, for Kerala had always been lagging behind in such ventures. His intention is to see that educated unemployed should get good jobs in the state itself. This is not to say that everything has been smooth for him. There were problems like the need for the exit of K.B.Ganeshkumar from the Cabinet. Now NSS and SNDP leaders have to be mollified in addition to JSS, CMP stalwarts and R.Balakrishna Pillai. Perhaps some of the problems could be sorted out if Ramesh Chennithala joins the Cabinet, when some forces could be smoothened out.

East is East and West is West for VS Achuthanandan and Pinarayi Vijayan

There would be no consensus ad idem, meeting of minds, between CPM state secretary Pinarayi Vijayan and Opposition Leader V.S.Achuthanandan, as theirs is a clash of personality. Some may say there is conflict of ideology even.

They are going at a tangent and parallel lines are in operation. East is East and West is West, the twain shall not meet.

V.S.Achuthanandan would be able to pull on as long as he wants, wings torn and forlorn.

Then, both are veteran leaders and none can question their rights. Let them follow their lines and let us not transgress in chiding them.

V S Achuthanandan looks definitely pained

In this picture, Kerala’s Opposition Leader, with PA A.Suresh is definitely pained, anticipating action against his trusted lieutenants.

Reports say there would be punitive action against three of his personnel staff members.

There is something like vicarious responsibility

There can be immediate cases in point in respect of Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh and Kerala's Opposition Leader V.S.Achuthanandan.

The Supreme Court had mentioned "the heart of the report was changed on the suggestion of government officials" regarding coalgate scam report of the CBI.

The court has said access was given to joint secretaries in the Prime Minister's Office and the Coal Minstry. The joint secretary concerned in the PMO was one Shatrughan Singh and another joint secretary in the Coal Ministry was one A.K.Bhalla.

At the instance of the Law Minister these officials intervened and met together with CBI director Ranjit Sinha and Attorney-General G.E.Vahanvati.

Why should these officials intervene? It was only to save the blame game on the Prime Minister.

Come to Kerala, the personnel staff members of Opposition Leader V.S.Achuthanandan are being acted against by the central leadership of the CPM. Press Secretary K.Balakrishnan, Additional PS V.K.Sasidharan and PA A.Suresh are being proceeded against.

Of course V.S.Achuthanandan has told the central leadership that this action is meant to be by default. VS himself is targetted.

what we see now-a-days is abdication of vicarious responsibility.

PM knows he can’t give up Ministers that easily

The CBI has found that the corruption money received by the nephew of Railway Minister P.k.Bansal was on behalf of the Minister himself. It may be soon when the CBI may interrogate the Minister himself.

But P.K.Bansal remains in the post because he is the protégé of Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh himself.

Law Minister Ashwini Kumar is also dear to the heart of the Prime Minister. The Supreme Court has been berating the CBI, the Law Minister and joint secretaries of the Prime Minister’s Office and the Coal Ministry for interfering with the report of the CBI on coalgate scam investigation.

The Supreme Court has said the heart of the inquiry report was changed.

All the same the two Ministers are guarding their posts, maybe on the plea that the apex court is yet to name them.

Indirectly, the blame should be shared by the Prime Minister too. So what is the point in pinpointing the blame to the Law Minister only?