Kerala swearing-in ceremony LIVE: Congress leader Satheesan takes oath as Chief Minister, Cabinet Ministers follow

Minister-designate Ramesh Chennithala, who was a strong contender for the Chief Minister’s post, said he had joined the V.D. Satheesan government at the instance of the “Congress high-command, party workers, and my constituents in Haripad Assembly segment”. 

Speaking to reporters in Thiruvananthapuram, Mr. Chennithala said he was in “two minds about taking up a Ministerial responsibility”. 

When asked whether there was any tug-of-war between him and Mr. Satheesan over the Home portfolio, Mr. Chennithala said: “I was a Minister in the K. Karunakaran government at the age of 28. Later, I was the Home Minister in the Oommen Chandy Cabinet (2011-16). I have represented Haripad for the past 30 years, and each Assembly election, my winning margin has increased significantly. Given my political and administrative experience, Mr. Satheesan asked me to take any portfolio I liked”, he added.

When asked whether he felt down that his loyalists, Anward Sadat and T.J. Vinod, both designated MLAs, were not accommodated in the Cabinet, Mr. Chennithala said: “Many deserving leaders remained outside the government”. 

He noted that Congress had only 11 Ministers in the 21-member cabinet, and it was impossible to accommodate all those who deserved to be in the political executive.

Mr. Chennithala said that as Home Minister, he would stress on upholding peace and social harmony in the State. — G. Anand