JOIN USKasargod laments lack of representation in Pinarayi Vijayan's new Cabinet
Kasargod, the northernmost district of Kerala with a sizeable Kannadiga population, is lamenting the lack of representation in the new Cabinet of Pinarayi Vijayan.
Kasargod and Wayanad are the only districts that lacked representation in the new Cabinet of Pinarayi Vijayan. In the previous Cabinet, there was one minister from the district - Revenue Minster E Chandrasekharan of the CPI.
The district assumes much significance for the Communist parties since the chief minister of the first democratically elected Communist government in 1957, E M S Namboothiripad, was elected from Thrikaripur in the district, which was then part of Kannur district.
The district has been already aggrieved over its backwardness in many key sectors like health which got highlighted when the district struggled to manage a surge in Covid cases. The majority of the people of district still depends of health facilities in nearby Mangalore. It was only after the crisis caused by Covid that the long pending medical college project of the district was made operational at least partially. Tata group provided a Covid hospital for the district.
However, the hundreds of endosulfan victims of the district are still lamenting that the district lacked specialist treatment facilities for the scores of persons with mental and physical deformities.
Ambalathara Kunhikrishnan, who has been working for endosulfan victims, said that even though the district had a minister in the last cabinet many of the long pending issues like including more endosulfan victims in the list of beneficiaries and setting up AIIMS in the district did not happen.
The district was having high hopes that Udma MLA C H Kunhambu of CPM may make it to the cabinet this time. CPI denied second term to Chandrsekharan, who represents Kanhangad, as part of its all new face policy.
Chandrasekharan said that representation of all districts could not be expected in all cabinets. Even in many of the earlier cabinets also the district did not have representation in the cabinet, he justified.
Kerala Tulu Academy Chairman Umesh M Salian said that during the last five years the district witnessed many developments and the issues of the district listed out by a government appointed commission were being addressed, but gradually only. If there is a member from the district in the cabinet, the pressing issues of the district could have been taken up to the attention of the Chief Minister more effectively. Now it depends on how the MLAs would be effectively taking up the issues with the government, he said.