Kerala's ruling Left distances itself from attack against Lokayukta

Thiruvananthapuram, Feb 1 (IANS) A day after former Kerala Minister K.T. Jaleel went hammer and tongs against Lokayukta, Justice Cyriac Joseph (retd), the state's ruling Left dispensation on Monday distanced itself from him, even as he kept up his attacks.Jaleel had to resign from his ministerial post as the Lokayukta, just after the 2021 Assembly polls, ruled that he had committed a clear-cut violation of his oath when he appointed a relative to a post in a government organisation.In a social media post on Sunday, Jaleel accused the Lokayukta of being someone who will stoop to any level to support the Congress-led UDF and alleged that he had helped bail out a senior UDF leader during his stint as the Kerala High Court judge. He also alleged that Justice Joseph had bargained hard with the then UDF government for appointing his sister-in-law as the Vice Chancellor of Mahatma Gandhi University.His outbursts came at a time when Kerala is in the midst of a political storm after the ruling Left Front, in its previous cabinet meeting, decided to dilute the powers of Lokayukta - a decision which is being opposed by the Congress, the BJP, and even the coalition partner in the LDF government, CPI.But, Jaleel, contrary to his expectation that he would get the support from the ruling Left leaders, failed as CPI state Secretary Kanam Rajendran on Monday said what Jaleel said is his personal opinion and he is "nobody".Meanwhile even with no support coming from any quarters, Jaleel fired the second salvo on Monday, also through his social media account, saying Joseph, while being an apex court judge for three and a half years, pronounced just six verdicts only and even tried to subvert the Abhaya case, concerning the controversial 'death' of a nun.And if this was not enough, he, in another post, stated that his forays will continue and is not going to go back as he has only said "facts" and for that, he is prepared to "get hanged", and "till his last breath will be with the party".Perceived as blue-eyed boy of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, Jaleel, even though he contested as a Left independent candidate, was made a Minister in the first Vijayan cabinet (2016-21) and had it not been for his resignation on account of the Lokayukta observation, he might have made it to the second Vijayan cabinet too.Meanwhile on Monday, a contempt petition against Jaleel was filed before the Kerala Lokayukta over his outbursts.
--IANS sg/vd

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