Congress in for another round of factional fights

By Girish Menon

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, SEPT. 26. The UDF leadership's final decision on the sharing of corporations and boards is expected to give a new edge to the factional fights in the Congress.

The UDF sub-committee has recommended 30 corporations and boards for the Congress. Going by the latent dissatisfaction at the reconstitution of the KPCC, the distribution of posts among the various factions, primarily between Karunakaran and Antony supporters, would be a difficult task.

As per the understanding arrived at a UDF sub-committee meeting on Tuesday, the IUML would have 17 nominees, Kerala Congress(M) seven, JSS four, Kerala Congress(Jacob), Kerala Congress(B) and the RSP(B) three each and the CMP two. The UDF leadership has by and large stuck to the earlier pattern, but the Congress appears to have once again suffered as the number of posts it has got is not commensurate with its strength in the Assembly.

The only satisfaction before the UDF leadership is that the sharing formula was settled smoothly unlike in the 1991-96 period when the UDF leadership could not overcome the factional feuds. Similarly, the general norm that parties holding a particular portfolio would not have its nominee on corporations and board under its Minister has been flouted.

The Karunakaran faction has already set up a core group of eight persons comprising three Ministers, Prof. K.V. Thomas, Mr. P. Sankaran, and Mr. Kadavoor Sivadasan, Mr. P.P. George, Mr. P.P. Thankachan, Mr. M.P. Gangadharan, Mr. Saratchandra Prasad and Mr. V.S. Sivakumar to work out the future strategy of the group in the aftermath of the KPCC reconstitution. The core group would also be involved in the inner party negotiations for sharing the 30 corporations and boards the party has got as part of sharing the spoils of office.

The UDF High Power Committee is expected to ratify its sub- committee's proposal, but it is doubtful whether the appointments would take place soon in view of the fact that the High Court is in the process of considering a plea against the appointment of Ms. Padmaja Venugopal as the chairperson of the KTDC. The High Court stayed all appointments till the case is disposed of and asked the State Government to clarify the details regarding the qualification of appointment as chairperson.

The UDF sub-committee also examined the issue at its meeting and recommended the minimum qualification for holding the post. This recommendation would be considered by the State Government, which is likely to present the same before the High Court.

The sharing of spoils of office has become one of the mainstays of coalition politics. The two main coalitions have utilised an estimated 450 posts, which include non-official chairmen, presiding officers, and director board members of various corporations, development and welfare fund boards, to accommodate several sectional interests and party workers.

The interesting aspect is that a large number of these corporations are in the red and are a drain on the State exchequer. For example, the Kerala State Cashew Development Corporation is so deep in the red that it owes more than Rs. 80 crores to financial institutions. It is soon going to have a non- official chairman without the Government examining the problems faced by the corporation. There are several such corporations and boards which have to shell out huge amounts for the upkeep of their unofficial members.

For a Government which claims to have left no stone unturned to put the State's economy back on the rails, including cutting wasteful expenditure, it is surprising that the Antony Cabinet has not considered delaying the reconstitution of these corporations and boards at least till the State's finances improve or till a final decision on policy framework is taken on the fate of these institutions, some of which would close shop sooner than later.

However, the pace with which the spoils of offices were decided on indicates that political imperatives might get the better of economic pressures.

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Section  : Southern States
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