In the Left Democratic Front administration of Kerala, the Kerala Congress (B), led by K B Ganesh Kumar, faces challenging times as hopes of him becoming a minister in the second Pinarayi Vijayan Government appear to be fading.
Today, a brief setback shook the party as news surfaced that the CPM-led government had removed the one-legislator party from the chairmanship of the Kerala State Welfare Corporation for Forward Communities (KSWCFC). Fortunately, this decision was swiftly overturned after Chief Minister’s intervention, prompted by Ganesh Kumar’s objection.
The KSWCFC chairmanship was the primary post granted to the minor party after the CPM-led LDF returned to power in May 2021. However, the CPM seemed dissatisfied with Kerala Congress’s outspoken leader, Ganesh Kumar, who had previously exposed government shortcomings, leading to this short-lived change.
Under the Chief Minister’s General Administration Department, an order was issued to replace Kerala Congress (B) state vice-president K G Premjith with CPM nominee M Rajagopalan Nair as chairman. Rajagopalan Nair, a CPM supporter and senior lawyer, previously held positions as president of the Travancore Devaswom Board and chairman of the Devaswom Recruitment Board.
Premjith, unaware of the change, claimed not to have seen any official order regarding this matter. Reports suggest that the decision to remove Premjith was made without the consent of Kerala Congress (B).
When the LDF regained power in 2021, the Kerala Congress (B), although not granted a ministerial position, was entrusted with the chairmanship of the KSWCFC. Previously, upon joining the Left front, the party’s founder, R Balakrishna Pillai, was appointed chairman of the Corporation with a Cabinet rank.
The now-revoked order had reconstituted the entire governing body of the Corporation, with members including P V Bhavadasan Namboothiri, Fr Jiji Thomas, T K Prasad, M P Murali, Kollengode Raveendran Nair, and P N Mohanan, along with ex-officio members from the Additional Secretary (Public Administration), Additional Secretary (Finance), and the MD of KSWCFC.
While the government had pledged a ministerial position for Ganesh Kumar after two-and-a-half years, no official announcement regarding this matter has been made yet. Ganesh Kumar, the Pathanapuram legislator and son of Balakrishna Pillai, remains in anticipation.
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