13 more ministers in Kerala Cabinet

They included nine from the Congress, three from the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) and one from Kerala Congress (M).

The new Congress ministers are Aryadan Muhammed, Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan, K C Joseph and K Babu from the ‘A’ group led by Chandy and A P Anilkumar, V S Sivakumar, Adoor Prakash and C N Balakrishnan from the ‘I’ group led by Ramesh Chennithala.

Though P K Jayalakshmi, the lone woman minister is identified with the ‘A’ group, her candidature was supported by the high command as she was a Rahul Gandhi find.
The three IUML ministers are Dr M K Muneer, P K Abdu Rabb and V K Ibrahim Kunju while P J Joseph from the KC (M) also took oath as minister.

The IUML sprang a surprise on Sunday when it announced the name of Manjalamkuzhy Ali who had crossed over from the LDF to the IUML, as a ministerial probable.
However, Chief Minister Oommen Chandy and UDF convener P P Thankachan feigned ignorance on any move to accommodate a fifth minister from the IUML.

The UDF leadership had agreed to fill the posts of Speaker, Deputy Speaker and Parliamentary Affairs Ministers later as the IUML and KC (M) were staking claim on one more ministerial berth. It was in this backdrop that the IUML unilaterally announced Ali’s name.

The IUML leadership had said that Ali was very much in contention for ministership and that the vacant post of parliamentary affairs should go to him.

Muralidharan miffed

Meanwhile, fresh trouble seems to be brewing in the Congress party from none other than K Karunakaran’s son K Muralidharan whose prospects of becoming a minister were reportedly scuttled by the state leadership. Muralidharan who had so far kept away from controversies ever since he returned to the party broke his silence claiming that he had been totally sidelined by the party.

“I was not even intimated about the swearing-in ceremony. So, I did not attend it,’’ he said.

In the evening, his supporters took out demonstrations at several places in the state protesting against his non-inclusion in the cabinet.