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In Literate Kerala’s New Cabinet, No Berth For Shailaja ‘Teacher’

by TestHostEntry

KK Shailaja ‘Teacher’, who helmed the responsibility of leading kerala’s covid fight from the front, won with more than 60000 votes.

If you are a team leader, how would you reward the best performing member in your team? Would you be motivating them, encouraging them, providing them with all sorts of opportunity to improve or maintain the same performance? Or would you be axing them from your team?
Well, the second option sounds unfair but to the Left Democratic Front in Kerala maybe it doesn’t seem that way.
The Left Democratic Front created a history on May 2 when it became the first political alliance in the history of Kerala politics to retain the power in the state even after first five years. The state is known as a swing state which means it elects alternate fronts in subsequent elections. This time instead of UDF, Kerala chose LDF again and major credit of the path-breaking victory was given to the fact that it was been exceptionally well in managing the covid-19 pandemic. So much so that Kerala model also got recognition on the international stage. And the proof of this was also the margin with which the Health Minister of the state won in her constituency. KK Shailaja ‘Teacher’, who helmed the responsibility of leading kerala’s covid fight from the front, won with more than 60000 votes in the recently concluded Kerala assembly elections. This again is a record in itself since this is the highest ever winning margin recorded in Kerala’s electoral history.
However, it has been more than two weeks since the results, the LDF is yet to announce the entire cabinet. The CPI(M) on Tuesday finalised the party nominees for the second cabinet led by Pinarayi Vijayan but one dispatch from the meeting has left everyone shocked and rightly so. KK Shailaja, also known as Shailaja Teacher, has been axed from the new Kerala Cabinet. In fact, all of the cabinet ministers from Pinarayi Vijayan’s first term have not found place in the cabinet this time. The Party decided to have all fresh faces except for Pinarayi Vijayan. Which means Vijayan will continue to hold the CM chair.

The second Pinarayi Vijayan government in Kerala, to be sworn in on May 20, will have a 21-member cabinet. The oath-taking ceremony of the new Left government would be a low-key affair with limited invitees in view of the COVID-19 situation. The portfolios of the ministers would be decided by the Chief Minister.

However, Shailaja teacher’s exclusion from the 2nd LDF cabinet has disappointed many.

The retired teacher became popular due to her stellar work in containing the spread of COVID-19 in the initial phase of the pandemic. She had previously worked on the containment of the Nipah virus as well. Kerala had seen the Nipah virus outbreak twice, in 2018 and 2019. Shailaja has received many praises for her prompt action in tracking, isolation, and containment of the spread of the COVID-19 virus. Besides, during her term as health minister, the state witnessed an unprecedented growth of the public health system, particularly at the grassroots level, which has now helped Kerala fight Covid-19 rather effectively. At one time, party circles had even highlighted the woman leader as the successor to Pinarayi Vijayan.

In September, the UK-based Prospect magazine selected KK Shailaja as the “Top Thinker of the Year 2020”. She was also honoured by the United Nations for her work on containing covid-19. She was the only Indian invited as a speaker to the UN Public Service Day.
The change of guards at a time when the country is witnessing a second and much deadlier wave of pandemic has disappointed many, including the rivals. Shashi Tharoor, Congress MP from Kerala reacted to the news. Taking it to Twitter, he said, “Sorry to see Shailaja Teacher leave the Kerala cabinet. Aside from her reputed competence and efficiency, I always found her helpful, responsive and accessible as Health Minister, especially during the #Covid crisis. She will be missed.”
So why Is Shailaja teacher not being given the job she has mastered over the years through experience and efficiency?
Well, the answer to this question has a political dimension. There are three points to understand it.
1. The Captain Vijayan

Over the years, Pinarayi Vijayan has emerged as one of the most powerful leaders in the left politics. Undisputedly he is the strongest left leader in Kerala at present given the historic mandate. It is his decision to bring fresh faces in the second cabinet. Even during elections, he had decided to not to give tickets to any sitting legislator who has completed two consecutive terms. Several sitting ministers lost their chances of re-election. Many felt this move was too risky and will backfire. On the contrary, CPIM won with a historic mandate, strengthening Vijayan’s position. His strategy worked. Vijayan may have been experimenting the same with the new cabinet.

2. Party Above Person
The decision also seems to give out a message that the party is above the person. That the victory was collective and not Shailaja teacher’ alone. And hence the Mandate for LDF. It gives a message that no individual, however, popular, is not indispensable.
3. Public Sentiments Don’t Drive party Decisions
Under KK Shailaja, Kerala’s health ministry came under spotlight. As I explained earlier, she has braved many challenges, right from Hurricanes, Floods, Nipah virus to now covid-19 management. She was termed as a rockstar health minister. Needless to say, she is popular in Kerala. Thus, many felt that she was the natural choice for Health minister and she would continue as Health minister. Many also saw her as successor of Vijayan. But the LDF seems to convey a message that popular public sentiments do not drive its party decisions.
But despite all these possible reasons, Here’s why we think exclusion of KK Shailja from Kerala cabinet is unfair. Not only to the minister but also to the people of Kerala. One cannot deny that there are genuine reasons why Shailja teacher is popular: and the major factor is her work. She has worked on ground. She has accepted and then successfully managed the challenging situations. And since we are watching around us why it is important to have a competent Health ministry, who better than Shailaja teacher to handle Kerala’s health ministry? In times of pandemic, experience matters, coherent, continuos and focused strategy matters. Changing the commander mid-battle may be a good political strategy but this time at stake is lives of people. One wrong step in managing covid and that will be fatal to people.
So unless Vijayan plans to bring someone more experienced, more efficient than KK Shailja as Health Minister, the decision is equal to putting people’s lives at risk.
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