Express had asked VD Satheesan about lack of minister experience. What he said
After a 10-day suspense following the Congress-led United Democratic Front’s stellar win in the Kerala polls, Satheesan has been announced as the Chief Minister pick.
Satheesan had said he had been an MLA for 25 years. A week before the Congress high command made the big announcement, VD Satheesan, now Kerala’s Chief Minister-in-waiting, attended The Indian Express Idea Exchange.
The seasoned politician had measured responses to questions on his chances for the top post. But he responded sharply when asked whether his lack of experience as a minister would prove to be a roadblock.
“Administrative experience is not everything. VS Achuthanandan did not have administrative experience. When Narendra Modi became CM, what was his administrative experience? He was a party organiser, not even a senior parliamentarian,” he said.
Satheesan had said he had been an MLA for 25 years. “If you want to speak for 15 minutes (in Assembly), you have to do your homework for at least three hours and need to be updated on everything related to it. The financial situation in Kerala is vulnerable, but we have alternatives to strengthen it through better financial management, improved tax administration to prevent leaks of exchequer, and measures to stimulate the economy,” he said.
“I often say to my business friends that governance is like running a business. You need planning, team building, implementation and communication. Selecting the right people shows leadership, then project implementation and marketing,” he said.
“Good governance is very important. In a private company, if a manager is given six months to complete a task and fails, he will be held accountable, but a bureaucrat may take six years instead of six months but nothing happens because he is not accountable. So accountability must be legalised. Officials should be answerable. Leadership must create a system and culture that others follow. Performance auditing should be done regularly. You have to interact with experts, finalise priorities. That is administration,” Satheesan said.
After a 10-day suspense following the Congress-led United Democratic Front’s stellar win in the Kerala polls, Satheesan has been announced as the Chief Minister pick. Earlier, Congress’s general secretary (organisation) KC Venugopal and veteran leader Ramesh Chennithala were also being seen as frontrunners for the top job.
“The Congress Legislature Party had met in Thiruvananthapuram on May 7 and had unanimously resolved to authorise the Congress president to appoint the new leader of the CLP in the state of Keralam. Accordingly, the Congress president has held extensive discussions with the Chairperson of the Congress Parliamentary Party, Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, the AICC observers who had met with the newly elected MLAs…and many other leaders from the state, including MPs and former PCC presidents, were also consulted. Based on all these discussions, it has been decided that V D Satheesan be appointed as the leader of the CLP,” AICC general secretary in charge of Kerala, Deepa Dasmunsi, announced at a press meet today. Congress’s central observers, Ajay Maken and Mukul Wasnik, and communications head Jairam Ramesh were also present.
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