Just days after Kerala Industries Minister EP Jayarajan was accused of nepotism for appointing his nephew as the Managing Director of Kerala State Industrial Enterprises Limited (KSIE), his colleagues in the LDF government are also facing the heat over allegations of backdoor appointments of relatives.
Some media reports allege that not only EP Jayarajan, but many other ministers including Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan have been allegedly appointed family members to different posts.
Pinarayi’s sister in law’s son Naveen, who is an advocate, was appointed as Pollution Control Board Standing councillor recently. He was also appointed as a legal advisor of Beverages Corporation. Though reports allege a flaw in the appointment, Naveen defended himself stating that he was eligible for the position as he was an advocate at the High Court for 14 years.
But it’s not just Chief Minister Pinarayi who seems to be embroiled in the appointment row. Health Minister KK Shailaja and Fisheries Minister J Mercy Kuttiyamma are also being criticised by the media.
There were reports that KK Shailaja’s son is likely to be appointed at the Kannur airport. There were also allegations against her daughter-in-law’s appointment at the Kerala Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation (KINFRA). But the minister explained that her son, who is an MTech graduate cleared the recruitment examination for the airport job during the UDF government’s term. Dismissing the reports as baseless allegations, she wondered what the need was for her son to resign from his job as he had secured it much before she was appointed as minister. Shailaja also clarified that her daughter-in-law had been appointed at KINFRA prior to marrying her son.
Mercy Kuttiyamma also faces similar accusations that her relatives Xavier and Lawrence were allegedly appointed at Cashew Development Corporation and MATSYAFED (Fisheries Development Corporation).
However, the minister has not yet reacted to the allegations.