Former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, Pheu Thai's alleged de facto leader, on Sunday denied rumours Energy Minister Pirapan Salirathavibhaga will be kicked out in the next cabinet reshuffle.
Mr Pirapan, meanwhile, denied having rifts with the prime minister and Pheu Thai.
“No. We’ve talked and understood. There’s nothing [wrong] between us. I’ve known Mr Pirapan for a long time. He has great determination and good understanding,” said Thaksin when asked about rumours Mr Pirapan will be axed from the cabinet. No cabinet reshuffle was planned just yet, he added.
In his recent talks with Mr Pirapan, Thaksin said they discussed how to bring household electricity costs down to 3.70 baht per unit, from around 4 baht per unit now. Thaksin was speaking while in Chiang Rai on Sunday to help campaign for Saluckjicht Tiyapairat, a former Chiang Rai Provincial Administration Organisation (PAO) chief.
She is also the wife of Yongyuth Tiyapairat, a former House Speaker and a close political ally of Thaksin in the North, and mother to Piyarat Tiyapairat, a Pheu Thai MP for Chiang Rai province.
The target of bringing down electricity costs might seem difficult but it was possible, said Thaksin, adding he actually wanted the price to come further down to 3.5 baht per unit.
Mr Pirapan faced strong resistance from the United Thai Nation (UTN) Party in the past when he spearheaded a movement to cut energy prices. Energy business heads who were also party financiers weren’t happy.
Unlike his past attempt, his new bid to cut energy prices is earning his party popularity with the public.
Mr Pirapan, leader of the UTN party, has close ties to former prime minister Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha, now a privy councillor. In the previous general election, the UTN nominated Gen Prayut as the "No. 1" prime ministerial candidate of the party.
Before Thaksin's remarks, Mr Pirapan denied having any rift with Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra or the ruling Pheu Thai Party over energy issues, saying his work was fully supported by the government.
In his Facebook post, Mr Pirapan, also a deputy prime minister, dismissed reports of political tension between him and the government party. He said some media outlets had carried false reports about him in recent months and when that strategy failed, cooked up reports about a conflict between him and Pheu Thai.
He said he never had a conflict with former prime minister Srettha Thavisin or Ms Paetongtarn, who backed his work as it aligns with government policy. "My efforts to cut energy prices succeeded because of their support," he wrote. He also affirmed Ms Paetongtarn is serious about dismantling monopolies.
A source said Mr Pirapan felt compelled to clarify the matter following reports that he and Industry Minister Akanat Promphan, also UTN secretary-general, could be removed from the cabinet. According to the source, however, the UTN leader and secretary-general have no conflict with the ruling party and the party MPs are not in conflict.
Mr Akanat on Sunday also posted a picture of him with Mr Pirapan to show solidarity. "The Pheu Thai Party won't remove the pair. Both are seen as representing the former prime minister, Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha," said the source.
Earlier, ex-red shirt leader Jatuporn Prompan wrote on Facebook that politics will heat up this year. He said Mr Pirapan might be removed by the "big boss", a reference to Thaksin, due to a lack of unity in the UTN, but added there is still time for the party to sort things out.
Mr Jatuporn said the government's policy to "dismantle" monopolies began to face hurdles, raising questions if the government can withstand their influence.
