Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayam on Tuesday interrupted and “corrected” Health Minister Veena George when she was speaking on anti-rabies vaccines in the Assembly bringing applause from the Opposition.
The incident comes at a time when speculation about minister George being replaced is rife over her alleged “poor” performance.
Geroge was responding to a question on increase in rabid dog attacks and death of people who took the anti-rabies vaccine. When she said that a report would be submitted on this by an expert committee, Vijayan intervened and asked her to form a panel to find out the efficacy of the anti-rabies vaccine which was instantly appreciated by the Congress-led opposition.
Notably, the opposition was upset about the minister side-stepping on the issue of the efficacy of the anti-rabies vaccines that was being supplied to the state-run medical centres.
In a related development, senior Congress legislator and former State Minister A.P.Anilkumar had written to Speaker M.B.Rajesh objecting to the manner in which the health minister was responding to questions raised by MLAs.
In his letter, he had mentioned questions pertaining to George’s portfolio.
This morning, the Kerala Legislature secretariat informed Anilkumar that the Speaker had spoken to the Minister and told her that this should not be repeated.
George was a TV journalist when in 2016 she got a surprise call from the CPI-M and she was fielded as their candidate from the Aranmula assembly constituency in Pathanamthitta district and she won defeating Congress veteran and sitting legislator Sivadasan Nair.
In 2021, she again defeated Nair and her selection as a cabinet minister and that too Health came as a shocker to all.
But for some reason, George has found the going tough and there are reports of an “unfriendly” office of hers contributing to the speculation that she might be made the Speaker and Rajesh inducted as a Minister.
Reportedly, Vijayan is mulling a minor re-jig, after M.Govindan was on Sunday nominated as the new state secretary of the party after secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan decided to step down as a Minister and an MLA owing to his failing health.
On Friday, the CPI-M top brass is scheduled to meet to finalise the reshuffle.
–IANS