THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: In politics, as in life, if you repeat mistakes ad nauseam, you end up paying a heavy price. It is once again a case of timing gone terribly wrong in the case of the CPI(M) and the Left Democratic Front (LDF) Government. The latest lapse relates to the resignation of Higher Education and Minorities Welfare Minister K T Jaleel after the Lok Ayukta found him guilty of nepotism.
The Lok Ayukta submitted its report which found Jaleel guilty of nepotism and abuse of power on the appointment of his second cousin, K T Adeeb as general manager of Kerala State Minorities and Development Finance Corporation (KSMDFC), on April 9. The Lok Ayukta also said Jaleel should not continue as minister. He had allegedly changed the eligibility for the post with the knowledge of the Chief Minister to accommodate his cousin. Jaleel waited for four days before deciding to tender his resignation on April 13. And, as the saying goes, even a day is a long time in politics.
Moreover, he exited only after sustained pressure from the CPI(M) itself. The Opposition, understandably bayed for its blood immediately in the wake of the Lok Ayukta’s report. It was CPI(M) politburo member Kodiyeri Balakrishnan who conveyed the party’s decision, that he should put in his papers, during a formal meeting with Jaleel. Jaleel then forwarded his letter of resignation to the Chief Minister’s private secretary. The CM forwarded it to Governor Arif Mohammed Khan who accepted it.
The delay of four days, needless to say, has exacted a heavy political price on the LDF and the Government. It would have been better if the Minister had resigned immediately after the Lok Ayukta submitted the report. Jaleel’s claim that he resigned on moral grounds would have gained greater acceptance had he quit on April 9 itself. He played for time. And, in between, he also approached the High Court seeking to quash the Lok Ayukta’s order. Jaleel’s contention was that the Lok Ayukta passed the order without conducting even a preliminary investigation. The Lok Ayukta, he argued, proceeded to finalise the report based solely on the oral arguments of the parties. It should not have entertained the complaint in the first instance as the matter related to the prescription of qualification and appointment to the Corporation and had been excluded from the purview of the investigation under the Lok Ayukta Act.
Jaleel further argued that the Lok Ayukta had not followed the procedure mandated under the law. The issue, he contended, had been taken up with the Governor who rejected it without taking any action. The Governor also came to the conclusion that no corruption or nepotism was involved in amending the rules or appointment of Adeeb as general manager. The Lok Ayukta, Jaleel said, had ignored this aspect. Moreover, the Corporation, though owned by the State, is a private limited company. Jaleel said he was not a member of the board of directors who made the appointment. Also, there was no rule of law which prohibits the relative of a minister from being appointed to any post or under the Government. Even if there is any illegality in the appointment with the appointment, the Lok Ayukta cannot inquire into it as Adeeb as not a public servant, Jaleel contended.
What tilted the matter against Jaleel was the division within the CPI(M) itself on the issue. Law Minister A K Balan had said there was no need for Jaleel to quit immediately as he has decided to appeal against the order. He had every right to do so, argued Balan. There was no precedent, Balan argued, of resignation based on a lower court verdict. Politburo member M A Baby, however, disagreed with Balan. Baby said that Balan made the remark in his personal capacity. The party’s stand was made clear both by CPI(M) state acting secretary A Vijayaraghavan and politburo member Kodiyeri Balakrishnan, Baby pointed out.
Another factor which hastened the resignation of Jaleel was the fear that an adverse verdict from the High Court would be a big blow and could go against the Chief Minister himself. Hence the decision to secure Jaleel’s resignation without waiting for the verdict of the High Court. The HC has since reserved its order on the petition filed by Jaleel seeking to quash the order of the Lok Ayukta against him.
The dilly dallying on the resignation of Jaleel, needless to say, gave the Opposition a powerful weapon to grill the government. Muslim Youth League (MYL) general secretary P K Firose said Jaleel’s claim that he resigned on moral grounds was wrong. If he had morals, he should have resigned earlier or in November 2018 when the MYL raised the allegation. He resigned as he realized that he won’t get a stay from the High Court. Moreover, the CM – a co-accused in the case, according to Firose – has been trying to save Jaleel.
Leader of the Opposition, Ramesh Chennithala said Jaleel resigned as there was no way out and not on moral grounds. Jaleel, Chennithala, demanded, should be prosecuted by the Lok Ayukta. As Balan is the parliamentary affairs minister too, the support to Jaleel cannot be seen as his personal decision but that of the CPI(M), Chennithala opined.
Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president Mullappally Ramachandran said that if Jaleel resigned on moral grounds, then the Chief Minister should show the same morality. If only Jaleel had resigned on April 9 itself, the resignation would have taken the wind out of the Opposition’s propaganda sail, and robbed it of a potent issue to harass the Government. But, true to pattern, the Government dithered, and paid a heavy political price in the bargain. Yet another case of poor timing on the part of the Chief Minister and the Government.
It was in July 2016 that Jaleel wrote to change the eligibility for the post of general manager at State Minorities Development Finance Corporation allegedly to suit the qualification of his second cousin KT Adeeb. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan reportedly signed the file mentioning the change in August 2016. Adeeb was appointed as the GM of the KSMDFC one a one-year contract on October 8, 2018. The allegation of nepotism and abuse of power in the appointment was first made by Muslim Youth League (MYL) general secretary P K Firose. In November the same year, MYL leader VK Mohammed Shafi moved the Lok Ayukta against the appointment. In the wake of the allegations, Adeeb resigned on November 13, 2018.
But then, Jaleel is no stranger to controversy. He was embroiled in the mark donation controversy or his doctoral thesis, and now nepotism. But each time, the CPI(M) supported him. The party stood by him even when his name figured in the import of Holy Quran. Likewise, when the Customs, Enforcement Directorate (ED) and National Investigation Agency (NIA) grilled him in connection with the gold smuggling case, the CPI(M) extended solid support to him. No other leader had been the beneficiary of such leniency in the past. It may be mentioned that senior CPI(M) leader EP Jayarajan had quit as Industries Minister after allegations of nepotism were levelled against him in connection with the appointment in a public sector unit in 2016.
The CPI(M)’s soft corner for Jaleel is being attributed to his defeat of Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) strongman P K Kunhalikutty, who was embroiled in the infamous ice cream parlour case, in the 2006 assembly polls. The CPI(M) had fielded Jaleel against Kunhalikutty as Left-backed Independent from Kuttipuram constituency in Malappuram, a known IUML citadel. Jaleel became a giant killer as he defeated Kunhalikutty by a margin of over 8,781 votes. He won again in the 2011 and 2016 assembly elections as a left-backed Independent.
Since then, Jaleel, who had been expelled from the IUML following differences with Kunhalikutty in 2005, has remained a blue-eyed boy of the CPI(M). However, Jaleel’s resignation won’t have any impact on the LDF. It could have made a difference had the resignation occurred before the assembly elections. The resignation may also give him a chance for a comeback into the Cabinet if the LDF wins a second term in office.
