Thiruvananthapuram, May 24 -- Amid mounting political heat over his appointment, senior IAS officer Rathan U Kelkar on Sunday assumed charge as secretary to Kerala Chief Minister V D Satheesan, triggering fresh attacks from the CPI(M), CPI and the BJP.
While the BJP termed the development as part of "opportunistic politics" of the Congress party and demanded an immediate response from Rahul Gandhi over this, the CPI (M) said everything would come out in the coming days.
In the morning, the Chief Minister's Office (CMO) released photographs of Kelkar taking charge, a day after the government transferred and posted the former Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) as the CM's secretary.
There were also media reports that CM Satheesan has directed the officer to assume office immediately, despite it being a Sunday.
Amid the continuing controversy, AICC general secretary K C Venugopal avoided directly responding to questions over the appointment of the official to a key post in the CMO. He said the matter was administrative in nature, and it was for the government to take such decisions.
"I have no opinion on such matters. Let those in governance decide," Venugopal told reporters in Thrissur. Reacting sharply, CPI(M) state secretary M V Govindan alleged that the Congress was taking a contradictory stand compared to its earlier criticism of similar appointments in BJP-ruled states.
"When such an officer was appointed to a prominent post in West Bengal, Rahul Gandhi had strongly criticised it. But when a similar move happens in Kerala, K C Venugopal says it is the responsibility of those in power. This is a clear double standard," Govindan alleged.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.