Kerala: The Kerala authorities Thursday appointed former Congress chief and Union minister Okay.V. Thomas as its particular consultant in New Delhi. The choice got here after a cupboard assembly, chaired by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, was held earlier within the day.
Former Lok Sabha MP A. Sampath had held the submit from August 2019. The principle activity of a particular consultant of the state, which is a non-bureaucratic place, is to be the bridge between the Centre and the state. The individual in cost can also be entrusted with the duty of accelerating actions of the state authorities within the nationwide capital.
Thomas was expelled from the Congress final yr for alleged anti-party actions. The veteran politician was in Could, 2020 seen sharing a stage with CM Vijayan in a LDF by-poll conference held in Thrikkakara.
Talking about this new alternative, Thomas instructed ThePrint, “I acquired an expertise of about 50 years in Delhi. I’ve been a member of Parliament for 22 years and I’ve an excellent private relationship with everyone no matter the political variations.”
“This can be a determination by the CM and LDF they usually wish to use my relationship with Delhi and the communities in Kerala and that’s being made use of by LDF,” he added.
The Kerala Congress, nonetheless, lashed out at Thomas’s elevation. The social gathering’s state unit chief, Okay. Sudhakaran, instructed ThePrint, “CPM in Kerala and the sangh parivar in Delhi are having an unholy nexus. Thomas has a really nexus with the BJP leaders and so he’ll act as a liaison officer between the Kerala CPM and sangh parivar leaders in Delhi. After leaving Congress, he has been in excellent contact with many BJP leaders in Bengaluru and Delhi.”
Sudhakaran, stating that there’s already a full-fledged set-up for the state authorities in Delhi, mentioned Thomas’s posting will “solely add extra legal responsibility to the exchequer at a time when the state’s fiscal state of affairs is susceptible”.
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