Kerala Minister's kin quits amid nepotism row

Malappuram (Kerala) Nov 12 (IANS) A close relative of a Kerala Minister quit on Monday as the demand for Higher Education Minister K.T. Jaleel's resignation gathered momentum following allegations of nepotism in the appointment.K.T. Adeeb's appointment as general manager in a state-owned corporation in September had sparked protests by the youth wing of the Indian Union Muslim League -- the second biggest ally of the Congress-led-UDF.Adeeb, who joined the Kerala Minorities Development Finance Corporation, under Jaleel's ministry, finally submitted his papers earlier in the day.However, Youth League chief P.K. Firos said: "We will not stop our protest till Jaleel quits and faces a probe into the entire episode as it is a clear case of nepotism."Despite Jaleel, an Independent MLA, receiving support of the ruling CPI-M, Firos came out with incriminating documents to negate Jaleel's claims, leading to Adeeb's resignation.The developments have taken place a day after Jubilee Navaprabha, wife of Public Works Minister G. Sudhakaran, quit her post in the University of Kerala following criticism that her husband played a role in getting her the job.Industries Minister E.P. Jayarajan, who quit in 2016 following similar charges, was reinstated earlier in 2018 after a court gave him a clean chit.
--IANS sg/in/sed