India
Congress’s Muraleedharan alleged that all rules were violated for appointing Jaleel’s relative Adeeb and the nepotism charges were taken lightly
Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan has backed his minister KT Jaleel as he faces nepotism charges. He said it was a "baseless allegation".
Vijayan, while replying to the adjournment motion in the Assembly moved by Congress’s K Muraleedharan seeking discussion on the nepotism charges, said that local administration minister Jaleel has neither violated the oath of office nor has violated the law.
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The chief minister said as the issue is not of urgent importance there is no need for a discussion. The opposition soon boycotted the Assembly proceedings.
"The minister has not flouted any rule. As per the rule of business, the approval of the Cabinet is not mandatory for making an appointment in a state-run Corporation. It is also not necessary to make any change in the qualification," Vijayan said.
The Chief Minister said Adeeb was serving as the senior manager of the South Indian Bank and was appointed in the Corporation as he was qualified and eligible for the post.
"Other applicants did not meet the mandatory qualification or have desirable experience," he said.
Muraleedharan alleged that all rules were violated for appointing Jaleel’s relative KT Adeeb as general manager in the Kerala State Minorities Development Finance Corporation. The nepotism charges were taken lightly, he added.
Earlier, Jaleel said, "We had received seven applications for the post. Three people appeared for the interview. However, we could not find a suitable candidate. Then we changed the criteria of educational qualification as more people can attend the interview. Youth league has no clue about this and they are raising baseless allegations."
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