Kishore Kumar Jeewooth, former president of the Flacq district and friend of Vikram Hurdoyal: “It’s sad (…) constituency No. 10 has everything to lose from this revocation”

Kishore Kumar Jeewooth, friend of Vikram Hurdoyal, expressed his feelings to Défi Quotidien on Monday afternoon in a telephonic statement. He stressed that he maintained a social and friendly relationship with the former Minister of Agro-industry, but nothing deeper.

“It is sad that a politician of this caliber should be dismissed as a minister. Constituency no. 10 has everything to lose from this revocation. Vikram Hurdoyal was a conscientious minister, present on the ground and involved in all projects. He was a true worker,” Kishore Kumar Jeewooth said while commenting on the removal of Vikram Hurdoyal as Agribusiness Minister. He also mentioned that he had known Vikram Hurdoyal since his days as president of the Flacq district council, which was around ten years ago.

“I was a social worker at the time. As such, I had to approach the district chairman as well as ministers and other constituency MPs for projects in the East. This is how we developed a friendship over the years,” recounted Kishore Kumar Jeewooth. He clarified that “Vikram Hurdoyal always volunteered to help those in need.” Kishore Kumar Jeewooth also stressed that he is waiting for the Prime Minister's version to know the real facts leading to the removal of Vikram Hurdoyal. “I am and will remain an MSM activist. Vikram Hurdoyal is not the party. I have many friends in the MSM, and Vikram Hurdoyal is one of them,” he added.

Elections in the Flacq district: the last straw

It all started on Thursday, December 7, 2023 when the former president of the Flacq district council, Kishore Kumar Jeewooth (known as being “close” to the ex-minister), was ousted from the presidency following a motion of censure filed by majority councilors. The motion was passed by 12 votes to 11. The press, remember, had reported that ex-minister Vikram Hurdoyal was one of the two ministers from the East who were exerting “pressure” so that the office of Prime Minister interferes in the district election so that Kishore Kumar Jeewooth is reappointed. It was at this moment that a standoff began between former minister Vikram Hurdoyal and the government. He had threatened to resign as minister two days before the vote was held, on Wednesday December 27, 2023. Worse still, he would also have posted an intriguing status on his WhatsApp profile, suggesting that he was on the point of resigning from his post as minister.

“A new chapter” in December already

One of the posts read: “Saying goodbye feels hard, for sure, but I am confident that it is a door through which we walk to bring us another good chapter in our story together. Thank you all for being with me for the past 11 years in my journey in doing SEVA. It's time to say farewell to all those who contributed to my success – my family, my staff, my friends, and all those who trusted me and believed in my hard days and nights. Time has come to start from scratch again and begin a new chapter,” we can read in the image posted at 4:40 p.m., Wednesday, December 27. However, the authenticity of the post, which was circulating on social media, has not been confirmed. His press secretary also made it clear, in a statement, that there was no question of the minister's resignation. The government also downplayed this publication, saying it was “an end-of-year message to say goodbye to 2023”. Despite the pressure, Chandra Dev Bundhoo, who was the favorite in the race, was elected president of the Flacq district council.

“We respected the PM’s decision”

Reached by telephone on Monday, councilors from the Flacq district said that “nothing predicted that former minister Vikram Hurdoyal was going to be dismissed.” “There are rumors that he is in communication with the Labor Party (PTr). 'Sipoze ena dimounn pe koz ek Ramgoolam pou li'. But these are just rumors. At the level of the Flacq district council, what we have difficulty digesting is its interference in the holding of elections. There were repressions following the election of Chandra Dev Bundhoo,” we understand.

The president of the Flacq district council describes Vikram Hurdoyal as “a dedicated person for his constituency”. “We were saddened to learn of the dismissal of Vikram Hurdoyal as Agribusiness Minister. We respect the Prime Minister's decision and we are convinced that he has his reasons,” says Chandra Dev Bundhoo