Thiruvananthapuram, May 21 -- BJP MLA V Muraleedharan on Thursday alleged that the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) was attempting to "control" the newly formed Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) government in Keralam, claiming that the delay in portfolio allocation indicated pressure from coalition partners.

Speaking to reporters, Muraleedharan said the three-day delay in allotting portfolios after the swearing-in of the new cabinet had raised concerns regarding the functioning of the government led by Chief Minister VD Satheesan.

"The fact that after the formation of the cabinet, oath-taking, it took three days for portfolio allocation. As reported by the media, the reason was that the main partner in the coalition of UDF, th...