'Did Rathan Kelkar buy us 102 seats in the election? This is the first joke I'm hearing after UDF's victory'

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Chief Minister V D Satheesan has responded to the controversy surrounding the appointment of Rathan Kelkar as his secretary. Speaking to the media after the cabinet meeting, Satheesan asked whether Kelkar was the reason behind the UDF's massive win in the assembly election.

"The Chief Electoral Officer is appointed from a panel submitted by the state government. Does a Chief Electoral Officer's official career end after the election? Nalini Netto, who had previously served as the Chief Electoral Officer, later went on to work in the Chief Minister’s Office. Kerala cannot be compared with Bengal, where there were allegations of large-scale voter deletions from electoral rolls,” Satheesan said.

The Chief Minister added that no political party in Kerala had raised complaints against the state's Chief Electoral Officer. "The only person who raised complaints during that time was me, when I was the Opposition Leader. Was it Rathan Kelkar who made us win? Did he buy 102 seats for the UDF? We should discuss issues related to the future of the state,” he said.

"Kelkar is an efficient officer, and that is why he was appointed to my office. He has also worked with former Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. This is the first joke I am hearing after our victory," Satheesan said.

The Chief Minister also spoke about the eviction issue at Paryathukavu. He said the government has promised to provide land and housing to families if they are displaced as part of implementing the court order. Satheesan also mocked the CPM, which came to stage a protest at Paryathukavu.

"Two former ministers are staging a protest there. The police action took place just two days after the UDF government took the oath. This was the 15th eviction attempt there. All the previous 14 attempts had taken place during the earlier LDF government," he said.