THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The UDF government’s appointment of Chief Electoral Officer Rathan U Kelkar as secretary to Chief Minister V D Satheesan has kicked up a major political row in the state, with the opposition LDF and the BJP openly lashing out against the move.
Both the CPM and the BJP targeted the Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, who had previously been highly critical of West Bengal’s BJP government for appointing its State Chief Electoral Officer as the chief secretary.
Meanwhile, the state government on Saturday officially issued orders appointing Kelkar as the CM’s secretary.
Raising serious questions over the credibility of the recently held assembly elections, the CPM state secretariat likened the appointment to a ‘reward for the services rendered.’
In a statement issued here, the CPM noted that it would be the first time in the political history of Kerala that such an appointment was made immediately after an election.
“This only reiterates LDF’s stance that the commission took many biased and mysterious decisions to favour the UDF in this election,” the CPM statement read.
The CPM also questioned Rahul Gandhi in this regard. Referencing Rahul’s earlier remarks on the chief secretary posting in West Bengal, the CPM urged the Congress leadership to clarify whether Kelkar’s appointment too would amount to a shameless understanding involving the BJP, the Congress, and the Election Commission.
The BJP leadership too criticized the move, urging the Congress party not to play the politics of misleading the masses. Pointing out Rahul Gandhi’s ‘Bigger the theft, bigger the reward’ remark against the West Bengal CEO’s appointment as the state chief secretary, the BJP wondered whether Rahul would call out Kelkar’s appointment in the same manner.
“According to Rahul Gandhi’s own logic, Rathan Kelkar’s appointment should also be seen as a return gift for UDF’s massive win,” the party pointed out.
(With inputs from TNIE)
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