Kerala: Fifth dalit minister to handle devaswom

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: K Radhakrishnan, who handles the devaswom portfolio, is the fifth minister from the dalit community to be appointed as devaswom minister. Three Congress legislators and one CPM minister from dalit community had previously handled the department. All of them had handled the portfolios regarding welfare of dalit communities along with devaswom for relatively brief periods.
Congress man Vella Eacharan was the first dalit minister to hold devaswom ministry. Under C Achutha Menon, he served as devaswom minister between 1971 and 1977. Eacharan was elected to the assembly in 1970 from Trithala constituency and in 1977, from Wandoor.
Along with devaswom, Eacharan was the minister for Harijan welfare and community development. He was also entrusted with colonisation and settlement portfolio. He was actively involved in Harijan upliftment and Bhoodan work. Eacharan had also served as a member of the first and second Lok Sabha, according to assembly records.
During his tenure as devaswom minister, Eacharan introduced bills like The Guruvayoor Devaswom Bill, 1971 and The Koodalmanickam Devaswom Bill, 1971 and The Travancore–Cochin Hindu Relgious Institutions (Amendment) Bill, 1974.
Another senior Congress leader and former executive member of KPCC K K Balakrishnan was also given devaswom portfolio along with Harijan welfare and irrigation in the AK Antony ministry during 1977-1978. M K Krishnan, was the first dalit communist leader to become devaswom minister in the E K Nayanar ministry from 1980 to 1981. He introduced The Madras Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (Third Amendment) Bill, 1980. Krishnan also handled the portfolio of Harijan welfare.
Congress had another minister from dalit community who was the devaswom minister. Damodaran Kalassery served as the minister for Harijan welfare and community development in the P K Vasudevan Nair ministry from 1978 to 1979 and devaswom was his additional portfolio. Political historians and officials with the legislative assembly said that devaswom was such an insignificant portfolio that it was not usually tagged to the name of the ministers. It was only towards the middle 90s, that ministers publicly attached devaswom to their portfolio.
There had also been an instance when chief minister K Karunakaran broke the stereotype and handled the portfolios for the welfare of SC/ST communities himself. Till then, legislators from the same community was given that post. When asked about the impropriety, Karunakaran is said to have remarked; there was no better person to represent their cause.