In the wake of nepotism charges against Kerala Industries Minister EP Jayarajan, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said in a press statement released on Thursday that rules will be brought in to check nepotism in appointments to public institutions. He added that the state Chief Secretary SM Vijayanand will look into the said allegations.

Appointments to the posts of Managing Director/ General Manager in cooperative institutions will have to first be cleared by the state Vigilance department, the statement read. The Chief Minister also assured the people that a committee -comprising national level experts- would be formed to recruit employees in the public cooperative sector.

Meanwhile, Jayarajan expressed his willingness to resign from his ministerial post following accusations of nepotism levelled against him by the state Opposition parties.

The appointment of PK Sudhir Nambiar -Jayarajan’s nephew and veteran CPI(M) leader PK Sreemathi’s son- as the MD of the Kerala State Industrial Enterprises had raised eyebrows. 

Even though the appointment was subsequently struck down, there were reports that Jayarajan might still be asked to quit, as the party wanted to send out a strong signal to the masses that it was very serious about implementing its anti-corruption crusade.