IANS/Thiruvananthapuram


Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy has got the approval to revamp his cabinet, according to sources.
Chandy who is in New Delhi, yesterday met Congress president Sonia Gandhi and former defence minister A K Antony to discuss the issue.
However, while keeping his cards close to his chest, Chandy told reporters in Delhi he has already made it clear the revamp would be discussed in three stages.
“First, I will discuss it in my party, then in the United Democratic Front and finally, with my party high command. The discussions will begin in the state and not from here,” he added.
According to the sources, Speaker G Karthikeyan will become a minister and will be replaced by Minister for Rural Development K C Joseph, known to be Chandy’s closest aide in the present cabinet.
Taking into consideration his seniority Karthikeyan will be given the revenue portfolio while incumbent Adoor Prakash will be made in charge of the health portfolio.
“What remains to be seen is if K B Ganesh Kumar, who represents the Kerala Congress (Pillai), an ally of the UDF, is reinducted as a minister. If that happens, one of the ministers from the Congress will have to move out of the cabinet.”
The source said Chandy wants to induct one or two fresh faces but then he will have to drop two ministers and unsettle the erstwhile “I” faction led by Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala.
“With Chandy putting up a good show and securing 12 of the 20 seats in the Lok Sabha election when the party fared poorly across the country, he may put his foot down and finalise the cabinet revamp,” the source added.
Meanwhile, Chandy expressed happiness over his first meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and said he was assured that his state would be consulted before a final decision is taken on the Western Ghats report.
“The prime minister has promised that Kerala and all the other states would be consulted before a decision is arrived at. Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar also said that media reports that said a final decision would be arrived at on June 4 were not correct. All the states would be heard,” Chandy said.
Chandy said he also raised the issue of the biggest public sector undertaking in Kerala, the Fertilisers and Chemicals Travancore Ltd. (FACT), that was awaiting the central government’s nod for release of funds.
He said the prime minister has agreed to look into all other pending issues.
“We will prepare a fresh document of the pending issues of each ministry and our ministers will come to Delhi and brief the central ministers,” Chandy said.
Media reports recently quoted Environment and Forests Minister Prakash Javadekar as saying that a decision on the reports prepared by the Madhav Gadgil and K Kasturirangan panels on how to conserve the ecologically fragile Western Ghats would be taken soon.