Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram   

VS defends remark; K.V. Thomas peeved

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan on Sunday sought to justify his remark that junior Central Ministers were “jobless.”

At a function in Alappuzha, Mr. Achuthanandan said he had only taken a cue from the junior ministers’ complaints to the Prime Minister, but it was his responsibility as the Chief Minister of the State to react if Central Ministers from Kerala criticised the State government without taking steps to help the State get its due.

He would have directly expressed his opinion if the Union Minister of State for Agriculture were present at the function, he said. “If my statements have hurt K.V. Thomas, I express my apology,” he said.

Mr. Achuthanandan had said on Saturday that Central Ministers from Kerala were criticising the State government because they did not have much work in Delhi.

Prof. Thomas, talking to mediapersons in Kottayam, reacted sharply stating that Mr. Achuthanandan was holding a responsible position and that he should not undermine the office.

The Chief Minister had criticised the Central Ministers without knowledge about how things work in Delhi, he said. Union Minister of State for Home Mullapally Ramachandran, however, refused to react to the remarks.

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