M.V. Govindan says no party forum had considered reviewing the studied and principled position and the government rectified the anomaly by freezing the order
M.V. Govindan says no party forum had considered reviewing the studied and principled position and the government rectified the anomaly by freezing the order
Finance Minister K. N. Balagopal appeared isolated in the CPI(M), with the party’s State secretary M. V. Govindan disavowing the Kerala government’s contentious order to enhance the retirement age of State-run public sector unit (PSU) employees to 60.
The Cabinet had hastily put the order on hold on Wednesday after the government came under intense flak from left trade unions, youth organisations and the Opposition.
Mr. Govindan maintained that the CPI(M) was unfailingly against enhancing the retirement age of government employees. He said no party forum had considered reviewing the studied and principled position. The government rectified the anomaly by freezing the order. The Students Federation of India (SFI), the Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) and the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) were right to protest against the impromptu decision, he said.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan reportedly raised the issue in the Cabinet after the decision drew flak. The government weighed the legal ramifications of annulling the order and decided to keep it in abeyance.
Leader of the Opposition V. D. Satheesan dared Mr. Vijayan to expel Mr. Balagopal from the Cabinet. He said the Finance department had taken the heedless decision with no care for the future of lakhs of educated youth in the State.
Mr. Satheesan alleged that Mr. Balagopal had deliberately kept the Cabinet in the dark about the move. The Minister compromised the Cabinet’s collective responsibility, he added.
The Opposition alleged that the government fears that substantial pension and gratuity payouts would deplete the public exchequer and compel the government to sacrifice the welfare of the youth on the altar of financial expediency.
The Congress had accused Mr. Balagopal of being deliberately unmindful of the fact that the State’s unemployment rate was almost twice the national average. It said the government had slyly imposed a recruitment ban by enhancing the retirement age.
The recommendations made by an expert committee headed by the Chairman of the Restructuring and Internal Audit Board (RIAB) had informed the controversial order that cast the government in a political quandary.
Mr. Balagopal had run into trouble with Governor Arif Mohammed Khan last month, with the latter “withdrawing gubernatorial pleasure”, stating that the Finance Minister had stoked provincialism and challenged national unity in violation of the oath of ministerial office.
