‘Pinarayi Model Of Nepotism’: BJP Slams Kerala Govt Over Staff Appointments, Alleges Pensions For Loyalists
Thiruvananthapuram, Jun 22 (PTI) BJP state president Rajeev Chandrasekhar on Sunday termed the appointment of personal staff by the CM and ministers of the Left government as "Pinarayi model of nepotism".
Hitting out hard at the Left government, Chandrasekhar claimed that even as qualified candidates on the PSC rank lists are denied jobs, relatives and party loyalists were being appointed to public posts, ensuring them lifelong pensions.
He claimed this was happening even as the state was struggling to pay its daily expenses.
"This so-called 'Pinarayi model' of nepotism continues unabated, even as a bankrupt state struggles to pay its daily expenses," Chandrasekhar alleged in a Facebook post.
The BJP leader said that while the UDF was also corrupt, but under the nine-year rule of the LDF, "these practices have crossed all limits".
The state government, CPI(M) or Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, did not immediately respond to the allegations.
Chandrasekhar further claimed that during the first five years of LDF rule, 557 people were appointed as personal staff.
He said that while three years of service was needed to be eligible for pension, even two and a half years of service is enough to qualify.
"Once they resign after two and a half years, a new batch of favourites is appointed, collecting salaries and locking in pensions funded by taxpayers. Many of these appointees move on to other jobs after securing a government pension as a guaranteed income.
"This Kerala model of nepotism, funded by public money, has been followed by both political fronts for years," he alleged.
A day ago, Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) chief Sunny Joseph had alleged that under the guise of pension disbursal, amounts were paid en masse to personal staff of ministers.
Before that, on Friday, Union Minister of State for Petroleum, Natural Gas and Tourism Suresh Gopi had said that he not only disagreed with the practice of appointing personal staff by the ministers of the ruling government, he was totally opposed to it.
He had contended that while various other pensions were not being paid, those appointed as personal staff for a couple of years were getting all kinds of benefits and huge salaries, which was "wrong".
"That is wrong. Let them (personal staff) be paid salaries for their work. But giving them all the other benefits should be banned," Gopi had said. PTI HMP HMP ADB
india