Thiruvananthapuram, Jan 06: Indian Union Muslim League leader V K Ebrahim Kunju was today inducted into UDF Cabinet in place of beleaguered P K Kunhalikutty, who quit following sexual harassment charges against him, but Chief Minister Oommen Chandy took away the key IT portfolio from the coalition partner.
Shortly after the MLA from Mattancherry was sworn in by Governor R L Bhatia, Chandy told reporters here that the new minister had been allocated Industry, Social Welfare and the Minority Affairs and he would himself hold Information Technology held by Kunhalikutty earlier.
The entry of 56-year-old first-time MLA from Mattancherry into the Cabinet marked the culmination of a fierce agitation sparked by the claim by a victim in the Kozhikode 'ice cream parlour' case that she had been "sexually exploited" by Kunhalikutty eight years ago.
After battling the public outcry for over two months, the league leader on December 28 expressed his willingness to quit and sent his resignation on Tuesday, bringing relief to the Oommen Chandy government whose image had been dented by the Kunhalikutty episode.
Considered a Kunhalikutty confidant, kunju became the first Muslim league nominee from outside the Malabar region to get a ministerial berth.
Bureau Report
