Thiruvananthapuram: Controversy is brewing as O R Kelu was not given all departments of his predecessor K Radhakrishnan. While K Radhakrishnan was given the Devaswom and Parliamentary Affairs portfolios in addition to the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes Welfare Department, Kelu, the first time CPM Minister from Wayanad, also from a tribal community, was given just the Ministry of Welfare for the SC/ST.

The criticism is that not allotting the departments given to Radhakrishnan to Kelu as well will send a wrong message. Tribal leader Geethanandan has raised the criticism that the removal of the department is for appeasing the upper caste. Adivasi Gotra Mahasabha State Coordinator M Geethanandan says that CPM showed discrimination against O R Kelu.

He said failure to provide Devaswom Department will send a bad message. There is also the interpretation that the CPM is practicing upper casteism. He also said if the Left government is on the path of correcting the mistake, this decision should be corrected. The issue has not yet been raised by the Opposition. During the UDF tenure, P K Jayalakshmi belonging to the Scheduled Tribes was made a minister. After that, only now a minister is coming from the tribal community, he noted.

P K Jayalakshmi was the Minister for Backward Welfare in the Oommen Chandy Cabinet of the Thirteenth Kerala Legislative Assembly. She was also elected from Mananthavady constituency. Jayalakshmi was the first minister from the Scheduled Tribe and the youngest woman minister in the State. Criticism is that when even the UDF, which is always criticised by the Left, took such a progressive move, more was expected from the CPM, which describes itself as a progressive movement.