Insecure Pinarayi Vijayan benches brilliant Shailaja Teacher [sharp reactions]

Returning to an unprecedented second term in power, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Tuesday unveiled his new team, which jettisons all sitting ministers from his CPI-M, and consists of a mix of youth and experience, besides giving adequate representation to women, caste, communities and religion.

The team consists of three women - all first-time ministers. They include two from the CPI-M - journalist-turned-two-time legislator Veena George, college professor R. Bindu, who is the wife of present CPI-M Secretary A. Vijayaraghavan, and J. Chinchurani, the first woman from the CPI, after the Communist Party split in 1964.

But the cabinet reshuffle came as a shock to many when they discovered state Health Minister K.K.Shailaja was left out. Rather, Vijayan inducted all new faces from his Communist Party of India-Marxist.

Shailaja Teacher bids farewell

Emerging from the party meeting Shailaja, fondly known as Shailaja Teacher was quiet for a while but finally broke her silence and said there is no need for anyone to get emotional about this.

"It was the CPI-M which made me a Minister and all that I did during the five-year period is not my merit. It was because of the excellent teamwork. Also, it's not me alone who has been left out. None of my party colleagues who were Ministers have been selected this time. I am sure the new person will be able to perform better than me," said Shailaja before bidding goodbye to the media here.

Vijayan's decision came as shock as many believed Shailaja was certain to make a return to the cabinet after she won with the highest recorded margin of victory in the state from the Mattannur assembly seat in her hometown Kannur with over 60,000 votes. That was beside her remarkable role in the COVID-19 fight as well as how she handled the Nipah virus outbreak in 2018.

Netizens are furious

Vijayan's decision has not gone down too well with the voters and sent shockwaves across the country. Despite Shailaja maintaining a supportive stance towards the party, netizens were quick to criticise the Kerala CM and many even went as far as to say that Vijayan's move was a demonstration of insecurity on his part.

See some of the reactions below:

Meanwhile, there are speculations that Shailaja in a few months will be appointed to be the first woman State Secretary of the CPI-M. For that to happen, one will have to wait when the red party sits down to decide on the next State Conference scheduled to be held early next year.