THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Even as the controversy over the fifth minister issue refuses to die down, yet another aspect concerning ‘ministership’ remains unnoticed; it was almost a quarter century since the once-powerful Brahmin community had a minister in the state Cabinet.The last minister from the community was C M Sundaram, a member of two Cabinets led by K Karunakaran from 1981 to 1987.He held the Local Administration portfolio for a brief period in the Sixth Assembly and then Cooperation portfolio from May 24, 1982 to March 25, 1987 in the Seventh Assembly.‘Sundaram swamy’ as he is popularly known, was a member of the State Assembly for 29 years representing Palakkad. He was elected from the same constituency as a member of the erstwhile PSP in 1977, 80, 82; as a UDF-backed independent in 1987 and, finally, as a Congress candidate in 1991.There is only one member from the Brahmin community in the present Assembly, Ayisha Potti of CPM from Kottarakkara who won the seat after defeating N N Murali, also from the same community. The 12th Assembly had two members, both from the CPM, while the 10th and 11th Assemblies drew a blank as far as the Brahmin community is concerned.Trade union leader from Palakkad, K K Divakaran, was the other member with Ayisha Potti in the 12th Assembly. The same community had two of its members in the first Cabinet, including Chief Minister E M S Namboothirippad and Law Minister V R Krishna Iyer, though not as part of any quota or equation."We are not getting due recognition when the minorities are pampered with lot of freebies,’’ Akkeeraman Kalidasa Bhattathiri, state president of the Yogakshema Sabha, said. "Accepting the renaissance movement with a positive attitude resulted in such a negative impact,’’ he said.Bhattathiri welcomed the observation of Defence Minister A K Antony at a meeting in New Delhi the other day that "some communities which do not owe much strength to ensure a candidate’s victory in a constituency, are being sidelined in the state Assembly and Cabinet."From 1977 to 1996 the community with nearly three lakh members in the state had only two representatives in the Assembly.K S Narayanan Namboothiri from Vadakkancherry was the member along with Sundaram. He represented Congress in 1977, 80, 82, 87 and 91. There were many prominent members from the community such as D Damodaran Potty, who had been a Minister and Speaker. He was a member from 1960 to 1970 in three Assemblies. Kurur Neelakantan Namboothirippad (Manalur) and Dharamaraja Aiyar (Thrissur) represented Congress in the Assembly in 1960.
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