Is Shailaja becoming a corrective force in Left government?

Kerala's former health minister K K Shailaja is seemingly becoming a corrective force within the ruling CPM-led Left Democratic Front (LDF) as she has been pointing out flaws of the government on key issues such as Covid-19 relief measures and inadequate higher secondary seats.

During the second session of the present Kerala assembly in July, Shailaja had said that the government's support measures to various sections of the society who were badly hit by lockdown were not sufficient. This remark came at a time when the Pinarayi Vijayan government was trying to resist criticism from the opposition parties in this regard.

On Monday, during the opening day of the third session of the assembly, Shailaja raised a calling attention motion on the difficulties being raised by students who passed the tenth standard examination in getting higher-secondary admission. It came close on the heels of the Congress-led United Democratic Front also raising the same issue and staging a walkout.

As health minister in the first Pinarayi Vijayan government, Shailaja had won much praise for handling of Nipah outbreak and the initial phase of Covid-19. She also received international recognitions. Her popularity was much evident as she won this assembly election with a record margin of 60,963 votes and some pre-poll surveys had even projected her as a probable Chief Minister. But she was denied a place in the second Pinarayi Vijayan cabinet, on a general policy of the CPM to bring in new faces. The move had even invited much criticism against the CPM leadership, particularly against Vijayan.

For these reasons, the present critical approach of Shailaja in the assembly against the government is attaining much political significance.

Owing to the liberal conduct of the SSLC examination due the Covid-19 situation, a high number of students passed the examination this time and hence even those who secured 'A-plus' in all subjects were now finding it difficult to get admission in desired subjects. While the Opposition raised the issue in the House through an adjournment motion on Monday, Kerala Education Minister maintained that there would be over 30,000 excess higher secondary seats once the admissions were over.

But the opposition pointed out that many students who secured high marks in the tenth-standard were not getting admission to the desired streams and hence the allocation of higher secondary streams should be reworked.

Shailaja also raised a similar demand in her calling attention motion that followed, thereby backing the opposition party's contention indirectly.

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