Thiruvananthapuram | Congress stalwart A K Antony on Tuesday said there have been instances when minister portfolio announcements have taken much more time than now after the UDF came to power.
His remarks come in the wake of disagreements in the Congress-led UDF over the allocation of certain departments to alliance partners, delaying the announcement of ministerial portfolios in the newly sworn in Cabinet led by Chief Minister V D Satheesan.
Antony also said that former state Finance Minister K N Balagopal's claims of there being Rs 6,000 crore in cash in the treasury when the LDF relinquished power have to be verified.
He claimed that the state's financial situation was completely in ruins.
The Congress veteran said that the current financial situation of the state was 10 times worse than what it was in 2001, when the government could not afford air tickets on Indian Airlines for ministers to travel to Delhi.
"Despite such a situation, I congratulate Satheesan and his team for fulfilling some of the promises made by the UDF," Antony told reporters outside his residence here.
He was referring to the UDF government's decision to increase the honorarium of ASHA workers by Rs 3,000 and by Rs 1,000 for various other category of workers like those in the Anganwadis and those making mid-day meals in government schools.
The government also decided to implement from June 15 the free travel concession for women on KSRTC buses -- one of the five Indira guarantees promised by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi during the Kerala Assembly poll campaign.
Antony was speaking to reporters following a visit by K A Thulasi, Congress MLA-elect from Kongad Assembly seat in Palakkad district, and her husband, party MP V K Sreekandan.
He said that there have never been so many women, Scheduled Caste (SC) and young MLAs in Congress' political history in Kerala as there are now.
He said that in the past, seats earmarked for the Scheduled Caste community were won by the CPI(M) and there were very few women legislators.
Antony congratulated Thulasi for winning from Kongad, which he termed a Marxist fort that the Left held for 25 years.
The Congress stalwart also advised her to watch and learn how Sreekandan interacts with people and follow the same path as it will benefit her and the people of Kongad assembly constituency.