PWD minister G Sudhakaran in dock for secretary Mr D Suresh Kumar's resignation

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The resignation of Mr D. Suresh Kumar, private secretary to PWD minister G. Sudhakaran, alleging high-handedness by the minister has embarrassed the CPM leadership. Though Mr Suresh Kumar claimed in a statement that he was keen to take up party work, sources said that Mr Kumar was unhappy as most of the time, he was forced to remain as a silent spectator when the minister called the shots.

"Suresh Kumar was roped in as Sudhakaran's private secretary after chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan insisted that private secretaries should be political appointments. He was brought in after M. V. Jayarajan joined as private secretary to the CM," said a department source. However, Mr Sudhakaran told DC that Mr Suresh Kumar had not "resigned," but had only wanted to be "relieved" from his official duties.

"Suresh Kumar wanted to be relieved when the CPM area committee meetings start. They have started, but I have not yet relieved him," said Mr Sudhakaran. Earlier also, Mr Sudhakaran had earned the displeasure of his private secretaries. During his tenure as devaswom minister in the V. S. Achuthanandan government, he had sacked his then private secretary Mathew Jose. But he was appointed as the then health minister P. K. Sreemathy's private secretary where he did a good job.

The CPM is in a dilemma as another senior CPM minister's private secretary too has expressed his wish to quit due to the minister's style of functioning. "The attitudinal problems of the CPM ministers are affecting the image of the Pinarayi government, " said the source. Earlier, law minister A. K. Balan's assistant private secretary Vinod Vaisakhi had resigned and rejoined his parent department as a teacher. Mr R. K. Prabhakaran, former director of Kerala State Literacy Mission Authority and secretary of Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi had taken over as his additional private secretary as Mr Balan wanted a senior cultural leader to help in the culture portfolio which he is holding.