I’m the Chief Minister & I’m right, says Chandy

Chief Minister Oommen Chandy rarely loses his cool.  However, on Tuesday, he lost it in the Assembly and said: ‘’I am the Chief Minister and what I say is right.’’


The provocation was the fracas created by the  Opposition over a faux pas made by Education Minister Abdu Rabb by stating that the government had decided to  grant aided status to 35 schools now functioning under the  Area Intensive Programme in  Malappuram.


This  prompted Deputy leader of the Opposition Kodiyeri Balakrishnan to  produce a photo copy of a report that appeared on the official website of the Chief Minister saying that the Cabinet meeting on June 13 had decided that the 35 (AIP) schools  in Malappuram  district  funded by the Centre would be converted to government schools.


As the entire Opposition  wanted  the minister to clarify, Rabb  said  he had not seen the government order.



At this stage Kodiyeri asked the Chief Minister  to sack Rabb for misleading the House. 


Rabb said  it was the Cabinet’s proposal and  the same was with the Finance department for  its consideration.  Kodiyeri  said the Cabinet decisions should have  been issued  in the form of  GO within 24  hours.


Visibly perturbed over the minister’s misleading stand, Oommen Chandy rose to clarify that  no GO had been issued  to provide aided status to the schools. He said the schools were run by Yathimkhanas and other agencies in educationally backward areas with the Central fund. But recently the Centre had stopped providing assistance and wanted to wind up  such schools. But the  state government’s decision was to retain the schools with govt’s assistance.


However, he did not answer whether the govt decision was to retain the schools  in the aided sector or  to be taken over by the government. At one stage,  Chandy  lost his temper and said  he being the Chief Minister, what he said was right.


The Opposition  later staged a walkout  in protest.


The House was discussing the demands of grants for the  portfolios of Education, Sports, Arts and culture.