Former journalist Veena George replaces KK Shailaja as Kerala Health Minister in Covid era

Mangalore Today News Network

Thiruvanantapuram, May 21, 2021:      Journalist-turned- politician Veena George will helm Kerala’s Health Ministry in the successive LDF cabinet, replacing KK Shailaja at a time when the state is witnessing an unprecedented Covid-19 surge.

 

KK Shailaja, 64, was the face of Kerala’s model of Covid-19 management who also excelled in the role of health minister in meeting the challenges of the Nipah virus outbreak (2018).

Shailaja’s non-inclusion, after she played a leading role in the fight against Covid-19, had created a flutter and various sections of society, including celebrities, had batted for her reinstatement.

Some CPM leaders, including Brinda Karat, also objected to the removal of Shailaja from the new cabinet. However, to some political observers, the rising popularity of Shailaja might also have worked against her.
A former physics teacher, Shailaja’s popularity was reflected in her electoral victory from Mattanur constituency in the Kannur district. Shailaja won the seat with the highest margin of over 60,000 votes in the Kerala Assembly election.Veena George is a two-time legislator who represents Aranmula constituency in the Kerala assembly. With her induction in the Pinarayi Vijayan-led LDF coalition cabinet, Veena George earned a rare achievement of being the first woman journalist to reach the position in Kerala.

Known for her leadership qualities, well-articulated speech and matured interactions, Veena George’s name was being widely speculated for the challenging post since the Marxist party began discussion for portfolio allocation.

A surprise entrant in the poll fray, George had defeated her nearest rival Sivadasan Nair of Congress by a margin of 7,646 votes in the 2016 election.

She unsuccessfully contested in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. Her leadership was widely praised during the time of flood relief in Pathanamthitta in 2018 and 2019.

Before plunging into politics, she had a striking career in visual media for over 15 years as she had been an established news anchor in prominent Malayalam channels including Manorama News and Reporter TV.

As a TV personality, she was the co-presenter of "Naam Munnott", the television programme in which Vijayan used to interact with select audience.

A mother of two, George was noted for her in-depth questions and political analyses during her TV media stint and won several awards also for journalistic excellence.

A rank holder of MSc (Physics) and B.Ed, George began her political career as an activist of Students Federation of India (SFI), a wing of the CPI(M).

She also tried her hand at teaching for a short period before beginning the media career.

A member of the CPI(M) Pathanamthitta area committee, Veena George was given the challenging portfolio of Health when the Marxist party was facing severe backlash, especially on social media platforms for not retaining Shailaja, who had won global acclaim for her deft leadership in checking the Covid-19 surge, in the new cabinet.

Expectations are high on the 45-year-old to match up to Shaialaja’s work in Covid management.

Besides tackling the covid pandemic situation in an effective manner, Veena George also has an added challenge of showcasing a better performance than her illustrious predecessor in the state’s health sector.

Besides Veena George, two other women legislators also found a place in the Vijayan cabinet, the highest in recent times.

R Bindhu, wife of CPI(M) acting state secretary A Vijayaraghavan, would hold the Higher Education and Social Justice portfolios while J Chinchurani, the first-ever woman minister of CPI, got Animal Husbandry and Dairy Development.

Courtesy:India Today