Satheesan maintained that important decisions were taken collectively and accused sections of the media of misrepresenting Prakash’s remarks. He declined to engage directly with the criticism, insisting that the Congress leadership remained united in the government.
Prakash, a Congress MP, had questioned whether the constitutional principle of collective responsibility was being observed, amid allegations that the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) was exercising excessive influence over policy and administrative decisions.
Speaking to journalists in Thiruvananthapuram on Tuesday, Prakash remarked that evidence concerning collective responsibility was emerging publicly. Asked whether ministers were dissatisfied with the government’s functioning, he suggested that the question should be addressed to Cabinet members themselves.
His intervention coincided with accusations from CPI(M) state secretary M. V. Govindan, who alleged that Satheesan had undermined collective Cabinet functioning by concentrating authority within a small circle operating through the CMO.
Govindan accused the Chief Minister of allowing individuals representing questionable private interests to influence government decisions. The allegations remain contested, and no independent evidence establishing improper influence has been publicly demonstrated.
The controversy intensified following disagreements over electricity procurement involving a proposed arrangement through General Access Network (GNA) Energy.
Electricity Minister Sunny Joseph had expressed dissatisfaction over developments concerning the power purchase arrangement, indicating that he had not been adequately consulted on decisions affecting his department.
The Chief Minister subsequently decided on November 9 to abandon the proposed arrangement, but the reversal did not immediately resolve questions surrounding consultation between the CMO and the Electricity Department.
The disagreement provided the immediate context for Prakash’s remarks, which opposition leaders interpreted as confirmation that dissatisfaction extended beyond political rivals into the ruling coalition.
Govindan also referred to alleged grievances involving Excise Minister M. Liju and Health Minister K. Muraleedharan. He claimed that decisions concerning bar licences and administrative matters had been handled without sufficient involvement of the ministers responsible.
Those assertions represent the CPI(M)’s political allegations rather than established findings of administrative misconduct.
Satheesan disputed the broader interpretation of Prakash’s comments, saying the UDF convener had not explicitly declared that collective responsibility had ceased to exist.
He emphasised that senior Congress leaders were represented in the Cabinet and that government decisions followed collective procedures.
The Chief Minister also avoided committing to an immediate meeting of the UDF coordination mechanism, another issue raised by Prakash.
Asked when the ruling alliance would convene its next meeting, Satheesan said he would announce the date later.
Prakash had argued that responsibility for convening coalition meetings rested with Satheesan, who serves as UDF chairman.
The disagreement has exposed differences over the relationship between the government’s executive leadership and the political coordination arrangements underpinning the Congress-led coalition.
As UDF convener, Prakash is responsible for facilitating coordination among constituent parties, although the Chief Minister, as alliance chairman, retains an important role in determining when formal consultations take place.
The Congress leader had publicly expressed dissatisfaction on October 1 over what he described as inadequate consultation on important government appointments and policy decisions.
He complained that he had learnt about certain decisions through newspapers and television rather than through established coalition channels.
Among the appointments he questioned was that of Indian Union Muslim League leader M. K. Muneer as chairman of the Administrative Reforms Commission.
(The article ‘No breakdown of Cabinet unity, asserts VDS’ appeared first on Free Press Journal.)
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