The CPM will not give up easily on Lavalin issue

By O J George

Kottayam: The CBI filed an application before Governor R.S.Gavai seeking sanction for prosecution of CPM state secretary Pinarayi Vijayan, who in his capacity as the-then Power Minister dealt with the SNC Lavalin company for renovation of three power stations.

Irregularities have been alleged in the deal. The CBI has found him responsible.

The Governor, in turn, sought the views of the government on the issue of sanction for prosecution.

The case was referred to Advocate-General C P Sudhakara Prasad, a party supporter. The AG in his opinion found that no sanction need be given for prosecution of Pinarayi. The AG also said Pinarayi was not guilty.

The AG’s opinion was forwarded to the Governor as the opinion of the government. The Governor sought the legal opinion from various other sources and ultimately gave his sanction for prosecution.

The government has not taken kindly to the action of the Governor.

Chief Minister V S Achuthanandan has not opposed the Governor’s action. But today Home Minister Kodiyeri Balakrishnan has questioned the action of the Governor.

The ostensible objection was to the non-availability of the Governor’s sanction with the government.

The letter was given to the CBI and the media. Even after two days of issuing the order, the Governor did not give a copy to the government.

Kodiyeri argued that the Governor, if not in agreement with the advice of the Cabinet, should have returned the same to the Cabinet. It was for the Cabinet to reconsider the issue.

The action of the Governor in question was unconstitutional. The Governor should have informed the government on what basis he bypassed the advice of the government.

Also he should have cited the reasons for giving sanction for prosecution.

The government could not move further without getting the copy of the Governor’s sanction.

Within no time the Home Minister finished his press conference in which he bashed the Governor’s action, a copy of the sanction was made available to the Chief Minister.

That the CPM is not going to give up easily is highlighted by the fact that the same arguments are given out from various quarters at the same time.

LDF convener Vaikom Viswan also conducted a press conference using stronger words than the Home Minister against the Governor.

Minister A K Balan, who is close to Pinarayi Vijayan, has observed that groupism in the party was behind the exposure of the Lavalin issue.

Education Minister M A Baby has pointed out that Pinarayi Vijayan would not step down as party state secretary. Simultaneously, legal steps would be taken in this regard.


The coming days would witness loud protest from different quarters of the party owing allegiance to Pinarayi Vijayan.

However, Chief Minister V S Achuthanandan had made it clear that the politburo would discuss the Lavalin issue in detail. The politburo is scheduled to meet on June 19.

There could be bitter arguments in the politburo for and against the ouster of Pinarayi Vijayan as state secretary of the party.

Earlier, the state secretariat had urged the central leadership to remove V S Achuthanandan from Chief Ministership.

Any way, the party is being buffeted severely by the Lavalin issue. This will not die down so easily. Concerted action is essential on the part of the party to come out of the confusion.

The winner undergoes changes, the loser remains stuck

By O J George

Kottayam: It is quite amusing to see the winner undergoing changes and the loser remaining stuck. I refer to Congress Party positions in Kerala poised for re-arrangements while the CPM positions disposed to remain status quo ante.

This is not at all an attempt to call for change or no change. For, the political parties themselves are the best judges for arriving at decisions based on ground realities.

At the same time, the people would be curious to know whether the present leadership of the Congress in the State would be replaced by another team to face the Assembly elections confidently two years from now.

Remember the LDF Government led by V S Achuthanandan has just observed its third anniversary but not celebrated it during May.

Ramesh Chennithala has reasons to gloat over the UDF win in the Lok Sabha elections. Could it be a better win if someone else comes to lead the party and the UDF during the Assembly elections in 2011?

Panchayat elections are due in 2010 when both the fronts, the LDF and the UDF, would have to sweat it out. Leadership counts in inspiring the electorate to tread particular paths.

Changes are the natural corollaries of occasions when vacancies have to be filled. The Congress Party has the distinction of finding replacements for organisational incumbents who have been elected MPs. Some of them have become Ministers.

Availability of vacancies of Governors also offer good opportunities for posting some aspirants. Certain people can be wheeled away from active politics, if they are given the post of Governor.

Leader K.Karunakaran knows it very well that his accepting the post of Governor would leave him away from active politics. He has always been preferring to remain vibrant even as he is getting old aged.

If there are replacements, would it be V M Sudheeran who takes up the post of KPCC president? If he leads the party to victory in 2011 Assembly elections, would he be a challenger to Oommen Chandy for Chief Ministership?

Will M M Hassan fit into the post of UDF convener, if P P Thankachen becomes the Governor somewhere? Former “I” group leaders may want a person of that category to grab the post.

All these and other replacements best depict the changes affecting the winner. But there does not seem to be changes in the losing front. Discussions to pinpoint reasons for the debacle are going on at various levels. It seems the LDF cannot afford to effect changes now. No one can be singled out for full responsibility for the poorest performance in the Lok Sabha elections.All were jointly and severally responsible. Therefore, let all of them remain and improve the performance unitedly.

Deep pentration, quick conception and easy delivery

By O J George

Kottayam: Kamala Surayya just created ripples in the society. I believe she could do so only because she was a woman of substance.

Just any woman cannot speak about eternal love, carnal love and the mind’s peccadilloes in a manner Kamala Surayya did.

She did all these things with poise because she was a woman of high calibre, a position she climbed up with incessant reading, assimilation and creation.

“A woman of deep penetration, quick conception and easy delivery”. That was a comment made about Annie Besant. This comment aptly applies to Kamala Surayya.

She was Madhavikkutty to readers of her Malayalam works, short stories and novelettes. She was Kamala Das to readers of her English works, including her autobiography, “My Story”.

An ordinary mortal would think she rebelled against captive wifedom, later she lived life as she liked, transcending orthodox family traditions, and that too coming from a known tharavad, she changed religion from Hinduism to Islam, which some alleged was for selfishness, etc.

Actually, her life was one of creativity, intellectualism and all-pervasive exposition of love. Maybe, she should have been possessed of the characteristics of Brahman, the way she loved all kinds of people.

When she switched her faith from Hinduism to Islam, many ordinary mortals who earlier adored her were on the vanguard of troubling her, humiliating her.

There was a hate campaign against her, about which she was worried.

The climactic exercise of malevolence by these elements forced her to shift residence from Kochi to Pune, where she breathed her last at the age of 75.

Justifiably, she is being given a State funeral. Her children have decided she should have a burial in accordance with the belief system she last clung on. So she would be buried at the Juma Masjid at Palayam, Thiruvananthapuram.

Before that, befittingly, there would be funeral procession from Kochi to Thrissur, back to Ernakulam and from there to Thiruvananthapuram via Alappuzha and Kollam.

People would be able to pay their last respects to her en route to her final resting place.

I respect all people who are endowed with awareness, reading, creativity and indepth intellectual transactions without looking into their creed, faith and political views.

She deserves the highest order of respect simply on account of her accomplishments.

Karuna should be proud of his children doing fine

By O J George

Kottayam: Our leader K.Karunakaran should take lessons from Kalaignar Dr Muthuvel Karunanidhi. For Karunanidhi should be quite proud of his children doing fine in politics.

M.K.Azhagiri, son through first wife is now Union Cabinet Minister. Recently he was held by the police for allegedly fomenting trouble in the Madurai region, where he was sent to build up the party.

Now he is Minister for Fertilisers and Chemicals.

M.K.Stalin, Karunanidhi’s son through his second wife, has been elevated as the Deputy Chief Minister in Karunanidhi’s Cabinet.

By now it has been made loud and clear that the mantle of Karunanidhi’s successor would fall on the 55-year-old Stalin.

Kanimozhi, Karunanidhi’s daughter through the third wife, an accomplished lady with erudition in literature, arts and politics, is Rajya Sabha MP.

There were reports that she was being appointed a Minister in the Union Cabinet. But Kanimozhi was magnanimous enough to keep off so that someone else in the party might be benefited.

For instance, Dayanidhi Maran, grand nephew of Karunanidhi, who was marginalised in DMK politics for a while as Karunanidhi wanted to teach a lesson to the Maran clan for disobeying his diktat, is now back in the reckoning. Maran made it clear that he would not stand on ceremony for getting a chosen portfolio. Ultimately he was game for keeping the textiles portfolio.

That was great blessing considering the fact that heavy-weights like T R Balu have been laid in the lurch. It seems Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was not keen to keep Balu. Neither was A.Raja in the good books of the PM, but he managed to cling on owing to political considerations.

Anyway, Karunanidhi, who would celebrate his 86th birthday on June 3, has come full circle in his political life. He has bequeathed his accomplishments to his children. No one can challenge them, as the arrangements have been finalised as per the wishes of Kalaignar.

One should analyse the finesse with which Kalaignar achieved all this. No grumbling, no murmur from others. Everyone seems to be satisfied that he is looked after very well.

In Kerala, K.Karunakaran was quite successful for some time in grooming his children K.Muralidharan and Padmaja Venugopal to adorn positions in political life.

K.Muralidharan had even become the president of the state unit of Congress Party. And he had done well in the position he held for a brief while. His leaving this coveted post for ministership apparently threw a spanner in his political life. Now he is gasping for his breath in the NCP. Who knows, perhaps his time will also come to fruition. Politics is never static. It goes on churning in the pot. The product would be either Amrit or poison. It would be the lot of the protagonist, and his luck or lack of it.

Daughter Padmaja Venugopal also has not come up the way Karunakaran wanted. For things are a bit difficult in a national party like Congress vis-à-vis Dravidian parties like DMK and ADMK.

K.M.Mani of Kerala Congress (M) could succeed in enthroning son Jose.K.Mani as his successor. Now nobody would challenge it.

If the progenies do fine, and serve the people, no one can blame the progenitors for crowning their wards with what they have.

People expect too much from the CPM

By O J George

Kottayam: A setback for the CPM gets double attention because the people expect too much from the party which stands for ensuring social justice, equal opportunity and empowerment of the down-trodden.

People forget that the classic Communists are not there anywhere in the world, and there cannot be regeneration of any more Marx, Engels, Lenin, Che Guera, not even E M S Namboodiripad.

One may accost Fidel and Raul Castro, Hugo Chavez of Venezuela and a few Africal varieties.

Jyoti Basu’s time is over in West Bangal and Kerala cannot have a new P Krishna Pillai. Times have changed. Text book Communism will not relapse.

But then, total rejection of the available variety will offer opportunities for the ultras emerging from the dejected lot, Like Naxalites, to have their sway. That is what is happening in more than half a dozen states elsewhere in the country.

Here in Kerala, V S Achuthanandan faction and Pinarayi Vijayan group are fighting it out among themselves, the former for a toe-hold in and the latter for complete control of the party.

They can only ensure mutual annihilation, but the people would not have any benefit out of it.

One cannot exist without the prevalence of the other. Because both are representatives of vast sections of the people. But the people themselves are a dejected lot now.

There is an anecdote in “ Ettamathe Mothiram” (The Eighth Ring) the autobiography of Malayala Manorama supremo K.M.Mathew about the rescue of the boat in which the family members were voyaging in Kuttanad, when he was a child.

The local people swung to action and salvaged the drowning boat. K M Mathew’s father thanked them and asked them, “Do you know who we are?”

The locals swiftly turned back and retorted. “We did what we should. What is it to us whoever you may be?” .

This was the same retort given to V S Achuthanandan, Pinarayi Vijayan, and Prakash Karat from Delhi in tow, in the Lok Sabha elections.

You may be arguing about in unending rounds of party meetings blaming each other for non-deliverance. People do not want justification for what has not been done. They want action to ameliorate their woes in the nick of time.
Philipose Mar Chrysostom Marthoma Valiyametropolitan once raised a question. What would the poor do if there were no Communists?

Mind you, the Communists had earned a niche in the minds of the people about doing something for ensuring social justice, fetching decent returns for the workers and the like.

Forget about their insistence on non-belief for party leaders, razing down cultivations in the name of protecting paddy fields, their wayward activists charging looking fee while others do loading and unloading, looking askance at the many workers engaging in illicit liquor trade in every nook and cranny.

But the compendious entity of the Communists had heralded a new era of rejuvenation of the society in which the poor extracted their rights from the haves, crass injustices in some cases notwithstanding.

It would be a historical blunder if V S Achuthanandan and Pinarayi Vijayan continue to fight it out among themselves for extraneous innings, presided over by Prakash Karat, leaving the people and the main aim of serving them, particularly the poor and the weak, in the lurch.

The leaf and the thorn will not writhe in pain

By O J George

Kottayam: CPM’s two-day state secretariat concluded yesterday, only for the three-day state committee to begin today.

CPM general secretary Prakash Karat has directed all concerned to abide by the guidelines issued by the politburo regarding election results review.

The review should not go beyond the election results and there should be no personal attacks against leaders.

Karat was doing a balancing act when he asked the state secretariat to include a bit about the cause of the debacle in the Lok Sabha elections. He found it fit to insert the finding of the politburo that the Lavalin issue and hastily hobnobbing with the PDP had created confusion.

Without this observation, the report prepared by state secretary Pinarayi Vijayan was all accusing fingers against Chief Minister V S Achuthanandan. His style of functioning, his different stance on Lavalin and PDP and apparent irreverence to the faction led by the party secretary were all debilitating factors.

Now Karat has asked Achuthanandan to call an end to the different posturing on Lavalin issue. By now it is clear that Achuthanandan wanted Pinarayi Vijayan to go through court proceedings. But no other leader is prepared to susbscribe to this view.

After the three-day state committee, there would be grand discussions at the politburo and central committee levels, commencing the exercise on June 19. By then, all state units of the CPM would have concluded their discussions.

The threadbare discussions and consequential corrections, if any, would consume the whole year.

And by then, the party machinery at all levels would have to be kept oiled for facing the panchayat elections to be held in Kerala next year.

No doubt, the LDF has equal chance to win in the panchayat and other local bodies’ elections. It would not be like near-total wiping as in the Lok Sabha polls.

Come panchayat elections, and the party would be revived. No heads will roll, all will be hunky dory.

The last laugh and other things

By O J George

Kottayam: It seems the CPM is concerned about the laughter of Chief Minister V S Achuthanandan. Not that the party is worried about the happy-go-lucky face of the old war-horse. But he made a mighty laugh on learning the info that the party stood demolished in the Lok Sabha elections.

Channels are vetting threadbare the body language, the tools of party communication and the like regarding Achuthanandan's last laugh.

The line-up of intellectuals, pro and con, is a mighty scene. Don’t we have anything else to mull over?

We have the hard facts before us. V S Achuthanandan was never the real party choice for chief ministership. Technically, the party made the decision at the eleventh hour to field him in the Assembly elections.

When he won, there was no choice, but to crown him Chief Minister. Then the modus operandi was to bridle him on every conceivable occasion. Even the political secretary and the personal staff assigned by the party have reportedly observed at the party for a that the Chief Minister cannot be depended upon.

The left democractic front has huge majority in the Assembly forum. The party is ruled over by his bete noire Pinarayi Vijayan. All efforts to corner Pinarayi Vijayan in the Lavalin case have failed. The last tool could be the Governor with whom various interests want Pinarayi Vijayan nailed. Governor R S Gavai is also dilly-dallying.

From the clarifications sought by him from the government as well as the CBI, it seems he has not given up the weapon of granting sanction to prosecute the Lavalin accused even as the advocate-general and the state government have said no.

It is a mystery how Achuthanandan survives in the face of this much of opposition for him in the party apparatus. During crucial times,the CPI would come to his rescue. If there is a plea for change of guard of administration, the CPI would oppose it at the LDF.

It is also another hard fact that Achuthanandan cannot continue with his modus operandi, if Pinarayi Vijayan is hunted out through the Lavalin conundrum.

Ultimately, this would end up like a game of one upmanship, without the attacks meeting the target point-blank.

Down in the dumps, now glamorous

By O J George

Politics has devious ways, leaders are merely sultans of the day. So celebrate when your time is good.

What would be a better example to project than the case of P J Joseph of Kerala Congress. He was down in the dumps for nearly three years, owing to an inappropriate behaviour case. This was not even a sex scandal. Media had blown the issue out of proportions.

He lost his Ministership within 100 days of assuming office. Most of the party associates and the general public at large loathed him. However, he continued to be chairman of the party only because no one could remove him from the post, as the party is solely his.

Now the court in Sriperumbudur, Chennai, has absolved him of the charge, which was that he caught hold of the breast of a woman passenger sitting in the front row from behind. The court found that there was no evidence to prove the charge.

The twist of destiny could be gauged. P C Thomas, whom P J Joseph gave accommodation when no one else was there to take him owing to his hobnobbing with the BJP, almost deserted him.

Thomas formed his own farmers’ conglomeration. He, and a few followers he had, stopped attending party meetings.

Now when the verdict is out, suddenly everyone is cozying himself up to P J Joseph. Dr K C Joseph faction had been pulling strings to see Joseph’s downfall. With the support of powerful outsiders, Mons Joseph was made the Minister in place of P J Joseph. This group never wanted Joseph to return absolved.

Now the moment Joseph is acquitted, there is a hue and cry about showing allegiance. Mons Joseph will not wait one moment to give way for Joseph. PC Thomas, Surendran Pillai and others are all agreeable to Joseph returning to power as Minister.

It was honourable of the Oppposition not to have made any adverse comment against Joseph.

People would always be there when you have power. They will desert you and snub you when you are in trouble. If you emerge powerful again, they would toe your line unabashedly.

One more hartal, horrifying for people

By O J George

Thursday witnessed one more hartal, or stoppage of activities, in Kerala for political reasons.

It threw normal life out of gear. There were no transports. KSRTC buses were stoned at many places in the State.

Some of the activists who blocked traffic were arrested by the police.Shops and commercial establishments remained shut.

An activist was taken into custody from the district office of the Congress Party in Kochi.

Private buses were off the road, two-wheelers and stray cars were seen plying.

Mercifully, other tragedies did not occur as of now.

Powerful people can escape the dragnet of the law. They cannot be proceeded against in accordance with the law. For, they can plug the loop-holes anywhere.

CPM state secretary and former Power Minister Pinarayi Vijayan may not be guilty. But that has to be proved in a court of law, according to Congress leaders.

CBI has found charges against him, but it can charge-sheet him only if the Governor accords sanction. The Governor has sent the CBI’s letter to the government, which sent it to the advocate-general. The AG has said there is no need for prosecution. Not only that, he has totally absolved Pinarayi Vijayan.

The cabinet has approved the line of the AG and sent it to the Governor, who is not bound by the advice of the government. But will he take the risk of overshooting the advice of the cabinet? That is a million-dollar question, an answer for which is due on any day now.

This much of action has precipitated Thursday’s hartal. It seems there is no other avenue to register political parties’ protest. Anyway people are the sufferers.

V S Achuthanandan a mute spectator

By O J George

Chief Minister V.S.Achuthanandan remains a mute spectator to the goings-on in the SNC Lavalin case as his party, the Communist Party of India (Marxist), has taken all precautions to save its state secretary Pinarayi Vijayan, the ninth accused in the case.

The party is fully controlled by Pinarayi Vijayan, who is supported by national general secretary Prakash Karat.

The CBI has accused Pinarayi Vijayan in the Lavalin case along with others, but the CPM is not game for even trying it in court. It squarely blames the CBI for fabricating a politically motivated case.

The party had from the very beginning stood by Pinarayi Vijayan. Even before Governor R.S.Gavai sought the state government’s opinion, the party swung into action and told the Chief Minister not to do any mischief.

The party wanted the issue to be referred to advocate-general C.P.Sudhakara Prasad, a political appointee, and not to the Law Department of the government.

Now Sudhakara Prasad has given a clean chit to Pinarayi Vijayan and others. The party secretariat has asked the Chief Minister to give this line in reply to the Governor’s query.

Of course, the Governor has his discretion to act in any manner he thinks fit.He would take legal opinion on his own.

Meanwhile, chief secretary K J Mathew has taken ill and is hospitalised. It is not likely that the Lavalin case can be taken up at the next meeting of the cabinet.

If the Governor takes his own decision to give sanction for prosecution, the party will approach the Supreme Court against prosecution.

The Chief Minister of a party like the CPM is in fetters. He cannot act freely, but the party will determine what he should do in matters small and profound.

Everyone wants to be PM

By O J George

The grand Indian election circus would conclude in May and the results would be out on May 16.

No party or dispensation would secure the magic mark of a simple majority in the 543-member Lok Sabha, the lower house of Parliament.

Then the substitute arrangement would be to call in the party which gets the largest number of seats. The Congress Party and the BJP are hoping against hopes to reach the 150 mark. Then other parties would come to the aid of either and a broader bandwagon of regime would be in place.

Incidentally, the politically weak President Prathibha Patil would have her best opportunity to put her foot down for the first time, if the need arises in selecting an incumbent government from permutations and combinations.

BJP’s L K Advani has been a contender for the PM’s post for a long time. If at all there is a threat from Narendra Modi, that has been temporarily tackled by offering him the post after Advani’s time.

Congress would definitely settle on continuance of Dr Manmohan Singh, if it musters enough strength. Perhaps after some time, Rahul Gandhi would step in with the blessings of Sonia Gandhi and Manmohan Singh.

Mayawati of BSP, Sharad Pawar of NCP, Lalu Prasad Yadav of RJD, Mulayam Singh Yadav of Samajwadi Party, Jayalalitha of AIADMK, Deve Gowda of Janata Dal (S) are looking for opportunities.

Like the tactics displayed in “Yes, Prime Minister”, Prakash Karat of CPM has also said yes and no to the post. No one else had mooted it, but he has offered his presence felt.

The very idea of the CPM joining the Cabinet without a clear party voice that could be an input seems ludicrous. It looks like the CPM is weakening.

In sum, there will be a grand thamasha on the politicalscape of India after May 16

Election waves in Kerala
By O J George

Kerala goes to the polls on April 16. Campaigning ends on April 14 eveningThat is the day of the Vishu, the festival which heralds prosperity and opulence.It is a harvest festival. Climate changes have unsettled the seasonal punctuality. Still Vishu is something that is long anticipated by children who would get cash gifts and new dress.

Our politicians are sweating it out on the roads to woo voters. LDF appears to be in a shambles. It seems someone is bent on wrecking the bandwagon. Lately there has been war of words between Pinarayi Vijayan and Janata Dal’s Veerendrakumar.

V.S.Achuthanandan is a trapped Chief Minister, but he is not a trapped party president, says Veerendrakumar.

CPI has not been happy with seat sharing exercise, Janata Dal is bruised, and there is the ever-present faction feud between Achuthanandan and Pinarayi Vijayan.

Congress Party, as always, has been buffeted by nomination worries. It seems the leaders have got over the woes. Congress is hoping for a landslide in Kerala, which it will not get in any other state.

The problem is that the voters will have to wait till May 16 for the results, after casting their votes on April 16.

Election euphoria catching up in spite of hot season

By O J George

It is hot season in India and the election fever is reaching a crescendo particularly for the Lok Sabha elections in states where the first phase of polling would be held on April 16.

The candidates have to muster all their resources and energy to drive the point home that they have the potential to win.

Social organizations and community brands are gaining added importance in states like Kerala. NSS, SNDP Yogam and other entities are being enticed by all and sundry. Afterall, a few votes would turn the tide.

PDP,NDF, Popular Front etc are in great demand. Their fundamentalist proclivities are side-stepped for vote gains.

When the CPM got endeared itself to PDP, UDF is acceptable to NDF or even the Popular Front. Luckily, UDF leaders are not sharing platform with NDF or Popular Front, whereas some of the CPM leaders have already sat with PDP leaders.

Adding a few MPs in the Lok Sabha is crucial to mainstream parties like the Congress and BJP. Left parties also want to gain good strength.

Hats off to the democratic exercise

Suresh Kurup and Jose.K.Mani have namesakes in fray

Kottayam: Fielding namesakes of rivals in the electoral fray has been a crucial tactic employed sometimes. Last time V M Sudheeran had to bite the dust in Alappuzha ostensibly because of the presence of another Sudheeran who fetched far more votes than the victory margin of Dr K S Manoj.

Finding an alter ego, with the same name, is not that easy. But this time in Kottayam Lok Sabha constituency, rivals of Jose.K.Mani of of the Kerala Congress (Mani) group could find a person with the same name. His father’s name was also the same, K M Mani, as that of the real Mani Sir. This other Jose K Mani is a small time functionary in Delhi, belonging to Upputhode in Idukki district. After filing nomination papers, the dual Jose K Mani flew back to Delhi and is not heard any more.

For some time, people thought Mani has been cornered. CPM’s K.Suresh Kurup has another of the same name. The dual K.Suresh Kurup came from Sulthan Bathery, Wayanad. One K.Suresh Kumar and another T R Suresh Kumar also filed nomination papers.

Expectations too much, dismay for those discarded

By O J George

Lok Sabha election camp is getting active. Thank God the actual campaign is limited to a fortnight. In olden days, campaign spread to two months. Candidates and campaign managers were at their wit’s end.

Now a lot of people are frustrated for not getting nomination. Expectations have been belied. CPM replaced many of the incumbent MPs for personal interests, it seems. Janata Dal and RSP did not get any seat. PDP and BJP rebels got indirect entry into the side-walks of the LDF. Janata Dal is out. It seems a split is the natural corollary of the goings-on in Janata Dal.

Congress hands are not a happy lot. Hibi Eden was cocksure about getting a seat in Ernakulam. But K V Thomas was prepared to give up his fiefdom.

Inernational Sasi Tharoor could have squeezed through indirectly to the Rajya Sabha.But he scuttled the prospects other locals.

Pathanamthitta always had the woe of receiving outsiders. UDF brought in an outsider this time as well.

So many cares, so many challenges.

Who would have the last laugh?

Protestants left high and dry

By O J George

Earlier church leaders thought their interests were being taken care of by the Congress Party. Often, the party was not able to live up to the expectations of various church factions. At times, the church leaders would boast of teaching a lesson to the party.

This time, Congress Party cared two hoots about the nominees preferred by church factions other than Catholics. The Catholics are also not fully satisfied. It wanted Hibi Eden to be fielded from Ernakulam, instead Congress chose K V Thomas. Still Catholics got three nominees.

Orthodox, CSI, marthomites drew a blank. No one knows what form the reaction of these church leaders would assume. Orthodox Church has issued an ultimatum. It will field candidates in at least four constituencies. Anyway, K V Thomas has visited the Devalokam Catholicate palace and tried to assuage the ruffled feelings of the metropolitans.

Churches fielding candidates without association with fronts would ultimately prove to be futile, and they would still get distanced from the mainstream.

Things are getting curiouser and inexplicable.

Front politics in Kerala shaking up

By O J George


I have been watching with great interest the unending talkathon going on in various channels by journalists, analysts and political and non-political leaders of various hues regarding the serious seat sharing issue confronting the Left Democratic Front in Kerala.

No one has analysed the issue in such a way that there is some hidden agenda by interested parties to unseat V S Achuthanandan from Chief Ministership.

The earlier attempt was to provoke VS not to participate in the march led by bete noire Pinarayi Vijayan. But somehow that got blown over.

But the fact remains that Pinarayi Vijayan may have to give up his post of state secretary of CPM at least after the Lok Sabha elections. His faction would not want Achuthanandan to continue as Chief Minister when Pinarayi Vijayan would be counting days outside the party echelons.

The best way would be to provoke the LDF partners into parting ways. That has come into being. Janata Dal(Secular) has decided to withdraw its minister, Mathew T Thomas, from the Achuthanandan ministry.

CPI is on the verge of walking out of the front. CPM may be toying with the idea that when CPI and Janata Dal go out, it can draft PDP and NCP.

Anyway the situation is akin to a complete restructuring of the front politics in Kerala.

Take care, terrorism is at the door-step

By O J George

What can one say about the threat issued to our Defence Minister A.K.Antony’s son in the St Stephen’s College, Delhi?

Terrorism has no qualms about doing anything. The terror leaders do not discriminate between women, children, old people or students.

What did Antony’s son do to the terrorists? It so happens that he is the son of our Defence Minister. That is all.

The country has to give protection to the people, be he a Minister’s son or otherwise. Ordinary people may not get specific threats. In the case of Antony, it is not the case. All protection measures should be extended to Antony’s son.

Even petty underworld chieftains can wreak havoc on people they want to destroy. One can imagine the wherewithal of terrorists who have a large canvas and larger wherewithal.

St Stephen’s has taken a decision to disallow anyone into the campus without the identity card. That is all good. But the precaution is not fool-proof. One or two security people cannot catch dare-devil terrorists.Terrorists even forge identity papers.

It is not like old times when people could roam around in all camaraderie. No place is safe, therefore, be alert.

Largest democracy looking for its govt

By O.J.George

Many of the countries which got independence from imperialists around the time India got liberated from British yoke found themselves led by military men or dictators of other interests or totalitarian giants.

Real democracy is absent in Russia, China, Pakistan, Bangladesh and what not. The majesty of Indian democracy is that it is holding the democratic exercise of electing its leaders every five years.

In spite of great diversities, languages, culture and interests, the country is holding together. The British wanted to divide British India by giving over a separate Pakistan. Now the world is suffering on account of the terrorists having a haven in Pakistan. The problem will only worsen.

In India,From April 16, there will be elections to the Lok Sabha in five phases. The 15th Lok Sabha has to be constituted by June 2, this year. By May 26, all the results will be out. The country will know who will lead its governance. Will it be BJP, Congress or a third conglomeration?

The country has provided opportunities to all varieties of governance. From absolute Congress rule to slender coalitions, BJP-led alliance and the like the country witnessed a plethora of exercises. But never did it plunge into anything other than democracy. A bad patch of emergency was quickly withdrawn.Communists turned down a golden opportunity to rule the country.

The world will see more of India in the years to come, upholding democracy

Heady days of newspapers over?

By O J George

Today I was flabbergasted to read in Malayala Manorama that its “Sree”, a free booklet given out on Sundays, was extinct on account of financial crisis.Moreover, the number of pages of the main paper has come down. It has no display advertisements on page one. Many of the ads inside are those of Government-related institutions and projects. Recession is not on the door-step, but it has taken over the parlour.

If the condition of Malayala Manorama, the vanguard daily publication in Kerala, is precarious, what would be the fate of others?

Others might be worse than this powerful daily. I know an English daily which has a lot of properties, outwardly looking. But the loans taken from financial institutions for constructing buildings and acquiring assets are all overdue for repayment. The company cannot even pay up the interest on all the loans. Even this firm projects assets worth crores of rupees. But God knows when it would tumble like a pack of cards. Meanwhile, it has been taking fixed deposits from readers. The depositors might have fallen into a trap, for God knows whether the money would be paid back or not.

Print media institutions are essentially flabby. The top-heavy newspapers have to pay hefty salary to a large number of incumbents, the total amount of which would be more than the total pay cheque of the majority of other staff members. But in the name of recession and chopping, the lower rungs would suffer even as the upper echelons manage to flourish. Ultimately, this would ruin the very institutions.

Strategies will have to be fine-tuned to retain the medium. Not that newspapers will vanish, but the very concept of broad-sheets call for urgent revamp that will cut costs.

VS has independent line

O J George

Kottayam: Chief Minister V.S.Achuthanandan is not prepared to give up his fight against corruption, in spite of the strong forces in the politburo and state party leadership riling him.

Today he made it clear in Delhi as he was leaving for Kerala that he would continue his war on corruption. Of course, he cited instances of Edamalayar, palmolein and Brahmapuram in which his foes were different. But inherent in this assertion is his motivation to continue with the fight against corruption in the Lavalin case as well.

The party, on its part, as explained by none other than general secretary Prakash Karat, is that there is not an iota of evidence against Pinaryi Vijayan. The most crucial point was that the project for Panniar, Chenkulam and Pallivasal renovation was given to Lavalin as decided by various bodies of the party. Now Pinarayi is out of the pictusre, the party has stepped in.

Now, what is the meaning of V.S.Achuthanandan’s determination to continue to fight against corruption? He will have to fight against the present dispensation of the party which is covering up the alleged corruption.

Kerala is set for further encounters, people have taken sides, and everyone is biding for time. VS would not get support from the present leadership in Delhi. There is no prospect of the leadership changing.

For VS, it would be suicidal politically if he goes back on his pronounced policies.

The grit and determination with which VS has been taking up causes, one can expect carefully crafted follow-up measures.

Would PB cave in or VS part ways?

Delhi : the crucial politburo meeting commenced at AKG Bhavan, Delhi, this morning, which is slated to discuss the Lavalin issue.

Any decision by the politburo could affect CPM state secretary Pinarayi Vijayan and Chief Minister V.S.Achuthanandan.

The politburo has already taken the strong stand that the CBI case against Pinarayi Vijayan is politically motivated.

Now that Chief Minister V S Achuthanandan is not amenable to give in to pressures being exerted by the politburo, and the PB not inclined to accede to VS’ wishes, things may go out of control today.

Or else VS will have to meekly abide by the diktat of the PB, led by general secretary Prakash Karat.

VS should surrender before the party, otherwise the PB should take disciplinary action against him, according to the Kerala State leadership of the party.

In any case, if Pinarayi Vijayan is to be temporarily demit office, simultaneously VS should also step down.

That things are coming to a head is indicated by VS calling on West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadev Bhattacharjee and WB state secretary Biman Bose at Bengal Bhavan this morning.

VS had arrived at AKG Bhavan at 9.30 am and met Prakash Karat. Without much delay he left AKG Bhavan and drove to the Bengal Bhavan to meet the Bengal leaders.

He also called on Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar before making himself available for the full PB meeting.

Kerala’s Home Minister Kodiyeri Balakrishnan and Pinarayi Vijayan drove straight to the AKG Bhavan from the airport to attend the PB meeting.

After VS had publicly stated that he was taking an independent stand in the Lavalin issue and that he would not take part in the Nava Kerala Yatra led by Pinarayi Vijayan, it is certain that the central leadership would be hard-pressed to take action against him.

But any action against him this time, while appeasing the Pinarayi Vijayan faction would only alienate V S further and no one knows as of now what course of action VS would follow.

Things have gone out of control and meek action by anyone is ruled out this time.

The ways of Communist Party changing

By O.J.George

CPM’s rigidity about divulging details of issues discussed by the party seems to be in for a change. Now even politburo members are speaking out more than they used to earlier.

The rule was that when the majority takes a view, the minority in the committees of the party should toe the line. If they have difference of opinion that should not be talked about in public.

That policy is changing, apparently because those who speak out have their own spheres of influence among the people. Now what Prakash Karat, the national general secretary of the party, says is not the last word.

Karat said the other day that the letters purported to have been written by former PB member E.Balanandan, who died recently, were fabricated. There were no such letters sent to him.

Now Chief Minister V S Achuthanandan has revealed that the letter issue would also form part of the agenda he would be discussing with the politburo on February 14.

Which means Achuthanandan is not prepared to concede the version of Karat.

Not even 48 hours remain for the convening of the full-fledged politburo meeting. Everyone is curious about the outcome of the PB meeting, which could be disastrous for the party if V S Achuthanandan decides to fall apart.

If Karat proceeds according to the already decided path, there would be a vertical split in the party in Kerala. If V S cannot tolerate the line adopted by Karat, which is fully in conformity with the Pinarayi Vijayan faction, the body language of VS as understood as of now suggests that he would part ways.

Maybe some of the politburo members would try to arrive at a settlement. Try hard as they might, it would be difficult to appease Achuthanandan on the issues held dear by him. D-day February 14, political news would come out.

VS Govt is gasping for breath

By O J George

The V S Achuthanandan Government in Kerala is gasping for breath. CPM in the state, instead of supporting its government, is creating hurdles more arduous than the opposition front.

The old war-horse he is, Achuthanandan does not mince words to castigate his opponents within the party.

The state party leaders were hoping that Achuthanandan govt could be given a quiet burial after the Lok Sabha elections, which the LDF is sure to trail the UDF.

But VS would not fall that flat easily, for he has been apprising the politburo about the wrong-doings going on in the party in Kerala. However, the politburo this time has not even cared to provide a leeway to VS, who the PB knows cannot approve of the ways of CPM Kerala secretary Pinarayi Vijayan.

A piquant situation has arisen in Kerala cabinet. The Chief Minister says he will not speak or do anything against the tenets of the Constitution. The CBI has prepared a charge-sheet against CPM state secretary Pinarayi Vijayan in the Lavalin issue. Pinarayi Vijayan, when he was the Power Minister earlier, had allegedly caused a loss of over Rs 380 crore to the exchequer.

The previous UDF govt had entered into a memorandum of understanding with Lavalin for maintenance of Pallivasal, Chengulam and Panniar power stations. But it was during the tenure of Pinarayi that Lavalin was given the work order without inviting tenders. Lavalin was appointed only as the consultancy agency during the UDF, it says. Work was given during LDF govt tenure.


CPM cannot give up Pinarayi. V S cannot tolerate the alleged corruption. There does not seem to be a via media. Any patch-up will only tarnish the image of both groups. It seems VS is on his way out, either on his own volition or on the machinations of his detractors in the party.

CPM in Kerala at the cross-roads

By O.J.George

There can be no love lost between Pinarayi Vijayan group and V S Achuthanandan group in the Communist Party of India (Marxist) in Kerala.

That Chief Minister V.S.Achuthanandan has deliberately chosen to cross swords with the politburo, which had decided to whole-heartedly support the Pinarayi group’s interests in the SNC Lavalin graft issue associated with the CPM state secretary when he was power minister of the state, is proof enough for an impending fight to the finish.

There cannot be a via media. Neither the politburo nor V S Achuthanandan can go back on their stated position. And if they make a patch-up by circumventing hard facts, the party would become ludicrous in the eyes of the people.

Pinarayi group had wanted to put Achuthanandan into a corner. The only option left for him was to opt out of chief ministership, as he was driven to the wall on ideological grounds.

Apparently V S is in no mood to cave in and be a mute witness to the corruption allegations. It was the Comptroller and Auditor-General who had raised the corruption issue. The CBI had completed the investigation as per the periodic directives of the High Court.

In the circumstances, VS could not but act.

Obama starting well

By O J George

It was exhilarating to see Barack Obama ascend to being President of the United States of America. Sitting far away and simply observing the political ways of America, I never thought that the US, which had refused to change its certain ways for 220 years of its independence, would elect an Afro-American origin person as its President. Then, times are changing and the descendants of the oppressed are becoming the callers of the tune.

That is nice for the world which has become too mugh besotted, selfish and avaricious.

For Obama, there are many things to do. If he does all the things which he can do, in al sincerity, sky is the limit for the world to come to common sense. I believe the world, the people who call the shots have all lost their common sense, not listening to others’needs for existence.

There is no point in going on berating America for anything and everything like Hugo Chavez, Ahmadinijad and the like do. The thinking people would only consider them as foolhardy.

Nice things about Obama’s ways, he had drafted Hillary Clinton as Secretary of State, retained Robert Gates as Defence Secretary. These are signs of accommodation.

Let him take wise decisions for the common good of the world

Terror leaders safe, followers thrown into war

By O J George

“We will sit in crevices, corners and caves in high mountains or hide in deep forests or coastal belt in cognito. You people go and wage a war and get killed”. This appears to be the message given out by so-called messiahs like Osama bin Laden, Hamas leaders, LeT, Jaish and other outfits, as well as LTTE’s supremo Velupillai Prabhakaran.

In Gaza, hundreds of innocent people, including women and children, are getting killed and maimed in the war between Israel and Hamas. Hamas has been launching rockets from safe hide-outs in Gaza which was vacated by Israel earlier. The rockets were being launched from the fences close to the border with Israel. There are forces out in the world to see that Israel is not safe. Once the Jews were dispersed all over the world. They had no place to live. When they were being hunted out, India was one among the few countries which offered asylum. So we had jewish settlements in Mumbai, Kochi and the like.

Israel was carved out for Jews by UN-led efforts. But certain elements have not taken kindly to the Jewish nation. Now, when Israel has invaded Gaza and has been killing Hamas perpetrators of terrorism, innocents getting killed in between, it seems Hamas is coming round to seeing reason at least for now. An attempt to monitor the Hamas from not getting armed further has been conceded.

Velupillai Prabhakaran has been offering the moon to the Tamils in Sri Lanka. His methods were terrorist. Now he is paying the price for it. The victims are Tamils in Sri Lanka. They have been laid in the lurch. People should understand that terrorists cannot be trusted.

The only displaced leader who has sworn against warfare is Dalai Lama who is in exile in Himachal Pradesh. An independent Tibet is out of the question. China would not even grant autonomy to Tibet. Dalai Lama is a refugee. All the same he has not taken to warfare. He will be know in the annals of history as a man of peace.

Terrorists responsible for this war

By O J George

Innocents are getting killed in Gaza. By now the count is 660 Palestinians killed and 2,700 injured. Women and children are there among the victims. Sad state of affairs indeed.

But the root-cause of all the mayhem is terrorism. Be it Hamas, Hisbullah, al-Qaeda, Lashkar, Jaish or LTTE, they are an eye-sore to civilised world. They will not want the word to live in peace. The reason could be Jehovah, Allah, Christ or someone else. The terrorists falsely believe that they are the saviours of these noble souls who do not need any saviour. Cry for you and your children, Christ told those wailing for him.

Pakistani terrorists launched an attack on India in Mumbai. They killed 180 people, including 36 Muslims. They don’t care. Jews, Americans, British and other foreigners were also done to death. If it is the Israeli style, India should have retaliated with a war on Pakistan. Thank God, it did not happen. Otherwise, thousands or even millions on both sides would have perished. Mind you, both the countries are nuclear powers. If a war is launched, after millions are decimated, the world will crave for a ceasefire. And that will occur. The net result would be the same, the terrorists would still continue to have their way.

True, blockade of support would help. LTTE terrorist Prabhakaran who killed Rajiv Gandhi is now sweating it out to live. After the US declared LTTE as a terrorist organisation, arms and funds seem to have been flowing to it at a lesser pace. No country should support terrorists, whatever be the cause they espouse.

The best way to deal with Pakistan would be to get a declaration from the world that it is a terrorist country. Sooner or later, the world will come to be convinced that Pakistan is the most terrorist-infested country in the world. All the other terrorist organisations in the world get support from those who made a haven in Pakistan. Ultimately, the US, the UK and other big powers will be forced to deal with Pakistan directly, for the terrorist activities there will only increase.

10,000 youngsters testing the art waters

By O J George

Asia’s biggest youngsters’ conclave of art competitions begins at Thiruvananthapuram today. About 10,000 youngsters from high schools, higher secondary schools, and vocational higher secondary schools are trying their hands for a prize in the competitions of tune, rhythm and festivities.

The schools youth festival of Kerala has entered the 49th year. Next year the mela would have its golden jubilee, even though there were breaks in 1972 and 1973.

The competitions would be held at 16 venues in 216 items.

This year the festival has uniqueness in combining the melas of high school, higher secondary and vocational higher secondary sections. Earlier, these were being held separately.

The district which fetches the highest number of points would fetch the gold cup.

The cultural pageant being taken out in the afternoon from University stadium to Putherikandam maidan would be a feast for the eyes.

The participants from northern districts like Kannur and Kasargod had reached last night itself.

Tactic everywhere will not work

By O J George

One can be master only when there are slaves or followers. One can indulge in tantra or tactics only when there are stupid people all around. The world has been thriving very well with a few people playing all the tricks on the masses and reaping benefits. The slaves were there to sweat it out and do the dirty work.

When people were armed with sticks and stones, somebody emerged with the gun, and the gunner was the leader. Later those who had more powerful weapons wielded more power and enslaved others. If more countries have nuclear bombs, there are more leaders. But what is the benefit of having a nuclear bomb, if the rival also has the same destructive weapon?

The futility of the weapons had been made clear by Jesus Christ 2000 years ago. Love is the most powerful weapon over all other ammunitions. The armoury would destroy mankind, but if people’s minds can be deweaponised, that would be the greatest weapon.

But that requires an attitude of renunciation. God renounced everything. But those who espouse the cause of God hold materialistic things dear to their heart from which God has escaped.

Priests and prelates trying to save God do not understand the fact that God does not need any saviour. Man needs Him, but wants Him on man’s terms. God is just not available on someone else’s terms.

The cruelty, the hatred, gargantuan selfishness and propensity to destroy others to the benefit of the self are all far away from God’s realm.

Acquisitions and mergers and covetousness are all emphemeral. Let humanity work for the benefit of all, without employing tactics. For the other man has understood the nuances of the tactics being directed against him. When everyone has attained wisdom, there will be no ignoramuses. No one can fool around anymore.

The war of nerves should end

By O J George

I feel the war of words between Pakistan and India should end. Pakistan would not act on the demands made by India to hand over horrible terrorists and abettors and perpetrators of heinous crimes on humanity, not only India, but also to the whole world.

There is no harm in enlisting the support of all sections in the international community to get Pakistan declared as a terrorist nation.

President Zardari does not enjoy the support of the real powers-that-be in Pakistan. US, UK and other countries are releasing gigantic sums of money to Pakistan for ending terrorism-related activities in Pakistan, but most of the funds are misutilised and no one can corner them.

The present policy of side-tracking the main issue of terrorism fomenting from Pakistan will not be good for eternity. At one time or other in future, I feel, US, UK and other countries will have to wage a war against terrorist elements within Pakistan. India should support their move then.

It should be clearly assessed how a nuclear-powered Pakistan would behave, if there is a war.

Make our borders impenetrable

By O J George

Make our borders on land, air and sea impenetrable. Pakistan is a namesake democratic country, for its mainstay is military power. US President George Bush himself was believed to have had a private talk with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in which Bush urged Singh not to take present Pak President seriously. Zardari may engage in loose talk, but don’t expect any cogent action from Pakistan on dismantling terrorist outfits there.

Instead of anticipating Pakistan to take action, we must insulate ourselves from terrorist acts. If there are traitors here, they would at least indirectly support these anti-national elements. We have to identify the traitors here first and destroy them.

If the borders can be insulated, terrorists flourishing in Pakistan will destroy Pakistan itself. For terrorists cannot sit idle. They want targets to strike. Let them strike targets there, not in India. For that we have to take stringent action here.

A hasty military strike against Pakistan will only weaken us. If we have to strike against Islamist terrorists, we have to accept assistance from those countries which can attack Pakistan. There is no harm in receiving assistance from US and Israel.

Every inch of land, sea and air should be scanned

By O.J.George

The latest is the boot President Bush got at the hands of a so-called journalist in Iraq. Terrorists masquerading as journalists is becoming a phenomenon. Killers of Rajiv Gandhi had used the camouflage of journalists. Sivarasan was watching the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi, sitting among journalists in Sreeperumbudur.

Terrorists do not got the conventional way. Mumbai attacks, in the normal course, cannot be thought of. They have hoodwinked everyone and took the country to ransom.

It has become certain. Mere pronouncements would not do. Every inch of the land, sea, air should be scanned every moment. There are murderous people waiting outside to wreak havoc on mankind.

Whether laws, federal agency or what not are required, have no hesitation in going ahead.
There may be long talks about human rights, democratic principles and equality. These norms apply to human beings, not terrorists

Neethi and Nyaya should be ensured

By O J George

The 16-year-long investigations into the Sr Abhaya case seems to be heading to a conclusion. Even now there is allegation that the CBI is arriving at the wrong conclusion. Direct pieces of evidence have been destroyed, but the agency has been putting two and two together to get circumstantial evidence.

The church concerned is not happy with the goings-on. There is one way of appeasing them. The CBI should be handed over investigation into the controversial and suspicious deaths. The suicide of three school girls in Ambalapuzha, Kiliroor and Poovarany sex scandals etc should be probed with the same fervour as that shown in the Sr Abhaya case.


Sr Abhaya case investigation has climaxed only because of the court’s intervention. It must be noted that the CBI also had written off the case, but the court has not.

The situation in Kerala, or for that matter in India, that a media outcry is needed to undertake proper investigation of criminal cases is rather unencouraging about rule of law. In a civilised society, there should be automatic keen trial of criminal cases.

Let the church not feel that it is taken in isolation. Let all other cases be taken up urgently.

Technology can see through, but why infiltrations?

By O.J.George

The joy ride undertaken by Islamist terrorists into India, particularly Mumbai, and the ease with which they permeated the main centres and killed people ruthlessly defies comprehension.

Technology has grown to such proportions that if one eases himself in the toilet, that can be captured without his knowledge using satellite pictures, global positioning system, scanning, radar monitoring and what not.

Where were all the monitoring agencies in India when terrorists came as they pleased and did what they pleased? They struck all the strata of society. They killed billionaires cocooned in luxury hotels, they decimated Jews and they made mincemeant of ordinary people in the CST railway station and the streets. I have fond memories of my daily routine reporting work at Nariman Point, travelling from Thane to CST and from there to the reclamation area. The Gateway of India, the Taj, Trident/Oberoi, Nariman House, CST all present memories of my visits.

We speak about the brutality. But where is the protection? We make tall promises during all these calamities and then forget about the precautions. The policemen are generally engaged in making a pie from motorist and small-time traders, when they are supposed to guard the citizens.

Intelligence received by one agency would be put up as a file for information to others concerned. If at all other agencies see them, it would be after the attack.

Safety on land, sea and air should be ensured as the apple of the eye. Rhetorics or war cries would not be beneficial at all.

Unnecessary hullabaloo over condolence

By O.J.George

A little bit of caution, consideration and grace would have saved the situation arising from the controversy over the condolence expressed by Chief Minister V.S.Achuthanandan and Home Minister Kodiyeri Balakrishnan at the residence of Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan, the NSG commando who laid down his life in the Mumbai encounter against terrorists.

First of all a situation should not have been created for people to say that the state government did not condole the major’s death. I will not say that the Chief Minister was responsible. Someone in his office made a faux pas in not alerting him about what should be done. The Chief Minister was away in Delhi attending the politburo meeting. So was the Home Minister. Someone could have been sent to Bangalore to attend the solemn rituals. The district collector of a North Kerala district should have been entrusted with the task of taking necessary steps.

The furious retort of Sandeep’s father also should not be taken seriously. In Maharashtra, the wife of slain ATS chief flatly refused to receive any solatum from Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi. Emotional outbursts should be avoided, but if things fly out of hand, others should not add fuel to fire.

Even now, all parties should strive to settle the dust.

Terrorists have a field day

By O J George

India could capture a terrorist alive and it killed a few in the Mumbai attacks. Three top cops of the Maharashtra police were killed. A Malayali major gave up his life while trying to rescue the people trapped in the hotel.

The intensity of the attacks could be gauged from the fact that the fights continued for days. The National Security Guards did exemplary service, in addition to the police, fire force personnel and others. The post-terrorist attack action was commendable.

But we should be more concerned about the security situation in the country. We know the country has Ingtelligence Bureau, Research and Analysis Wing and Military Intelligence and what not. We have satellites hovering over the planet. Could we not get a single thread of information to avert the drastic incident?

One Nasir caught by Bangalore police and who was handed over to Ahamedabad police had revealed hints about terrorists launcing an operation through the sea route.

Alert. Terrorism is something requiring more than routine checks, scanning and smelling. Land, sea, air and all should be vetted carefully every moment for unseemly hints of attack. Indian boarders are porous. Concentrating on Kashmir alone is not enough.

Without arraigning the government, one has to remind the rulers that more steps are essential to keep our life safe.

Enigma of keeping faith the myriad ways

By O.J.George

Kerala presents intolerance of factions among Christians, which is most unfortunate, as all the ballyhoo is in the name of Christ who wanted to forgive even those who crucified him.

It appears the scuffles all originate in the name of keeping possession of properties. At present the main problem relates to the intolerance among Orthodox and patriarch factions. Both have the same origin, claiming St Thomas as the founder. Many other churches also claim to have St Thomas as their founder.

After going through years of court proceedings, some sort of an end was dictated by the apex court. Now the issues emanate from so-called execution of the apex court’s verdict.
Thrikkunnathu seminary in Aluva is a bone of contention as also many other churches. The disputed churches remain closed. Each faction wants to outwit the other.

The damage caused to three cupolas in Kottayam district, the theft of the sacred remains of Elias III patriarch from a cupola in Thrissur etc are the latest episodes.

The Orthodox faction has a grouse that the Communists-led state government is fostering the rival patriarch faction. The Orthodox faction organised a massive rally and convention in Kottayam on November 16 as a show of strength.

The telecast of scenes in a Jerusalem church recently was amusing. The Greek Orthodox and Armenian Orthodox priests in their holy communion robes were fighting it out over the possessory rights of the assumed burial place of Jesus Christ in Jerusalem. Priests were seen beating up rivals using censors used for spreading fragrance during holy qurbana.

The street fights over custody of properties has become ludicrous, as many entities are more interested in physical wealth, ignoring matters of faith.

In olden times also, masters were praying to God even as they enslaved human beings and inflicted brutalities on them.

Tricolour on the Moon

By O.J.George

India has achieved a fantastic space odyssey, its Moon Impact Probe, released from Chandrayaan-I satellite has just landed on Moon. The MIP is painted on all sides with the tricolour Indian flag.

It has joined the choicest club of nations which have their flags on the Moon.

Some outsiders used to take India as a country of snake-charmers and sanyasins. Now it has become party to those who virtually possess the Moon.

From now on the journey of our space efforts would be modulated to achieve better strides, voyages to mars and Jupiter. It has already decided to send a probe to study the Sun.

India had missed all the first three waves depicted by Alvin Toffler. It had no place in the industrial revolution. Now it will have a place in the virtual world, space world, nano technology and what not.

For one thing, during the Vedic period, Bharat was head and shoulders above other countries in various technologies. Think about the weapons used by the Vedic characters. Missiles and modern armaments could have been designed on the theory and practice of Vedic weapons.

Now the country is catching up with those had made first use of the wisdom contained in
Sanskrit works and Vedic practices.

Extremists have a field day in Kerala

By O.J.George

Recently four youths were shot dead by the military personnel in Kashmir on the border with Pakistan. I remember the authorities in Kerala were not initially prepared to concede the fact that these youths belonged to Kerala. After the intelligence wings zeroed in on the individuals, the authorities were showing signs of doing something to deal with extremist elements in Kerala.

The saddest part of the operations of the terrorists apparently was the traps laid on goondas and cornering them to do acts of extremism. I doubt whether the goons were informed about the intention of their being finally used for subversive activities. Anyhow, the extremist elements should be grabbed and the tendency should be nipped in the bud.

I heard comments from certain informed quarters on television channels about the duty of the government to do something about the unemployed youths. Even though people do not subscribe to the view that compulsory military attachment should be enforced, for fear of being dubbed autocratic, it is desirable that a large number unemployed youth be drafted to the military services. They can be pressed into service for all sorts of work during peace time. Mind you, there won’t be any more large-scale war in modern times, for the nuclear arsenal with China, India and Pakistan would dccimate the earth if there is a war. Constructive work can be drawn out from the youth who are being drafted into the military.

A large number of the youth can be taken in the police and para-military forces. An empty mind is the devil’s workshop. Our youth should not be left empty-handed. Otherwise, there would be a lot of undesirable activities on their part.

Of course, extremism, terrorism and subversive activities should be routed out. Therseshould be no leniency in dealing with them.

Politicisation of the police dangerous

By O.J.George

A dangerous trend has set in in the State of Kerala, where the police is being politicized. The other day the CPM held a study class for police people owing allegiance to its cause at the Kottayam district office of the party. It is alleged that the camp was meant to instill in the minds of the cops the measures they should take to help the party win as many seats as possible in the coming Lok Sabha elections. Files from the police department were carried in a police jeep to the party office.

The party has denied having conducted any study class. But mediapersons who had got wind of the goings-on were parked in the vicinity of the camp venue and they were ill-treated by interested parties.

Anyway it looks good that the police top-brass has ordered an inquiry into the affairs.

I have always been of the opinion that our police personnel are smart and efficient. They would be able to do the policing job extremely well. But their hands are tied by political bosses. Whether it is sex scandal, corruption cases or other criminal acts, they know how to deal with it, even though sometimes they go overboard. But they are hamstrung by political controls.

Extremists were hibernating in Kerala?

By O.J.George

For a few days now, Kerala is agog with reports of a few of its youth having been actively involved in extremist activities in Kashmir. The bodies of two youngsters were identified as that from Kerala. One was a Muslim youth and another a Christian-turned youth.

The parents were not at all in the know of things of these unemployed youngsters. They were under the impression, it seems, that the youth were in Bangalore doing some work.

Now the police authorities are hot on the heels of those who recruited youths like these. One Faizal has already admitted to the police during its interrogation that he himself had recruited 300 youths for extremist activities.

It seems the extremists were using poor, unemployed youth, most of them not much educated, from Kerala for activities elsewhere.

The hibernating units in Kerala should be found out. Terrorism should not be allowed to take hold of Kerala.

Squabbles between Patriarch and Orthodox factions
By O J George

The dispute over properties and parishes between Patriarch and Orthodox factions has been an eye-sore for the people. Each faction may have a point to make. But the unsavoury squabbles have been spilling over to the society at large.

Orthodox Church followers maintain that the Patriarch faction has no right over Thrikkunnath Seminary. But the Catholicos of the Patriarch faction was allowed to enter the seminary buildings, with the support of the Communists-led government in Kerala, according to the allegation of the Orthodox faction.

Now Patriarch Ignatius Zakka I of Antioch, the supreme head of the Jacobite faction(Patriarch sect), is touring Kerala as a State guest. The Orthodox faction appears to be peeved that the patriarch faithful are getting a lot of attention and State support.The other day, Orthodox faction’s Catholicos and a few bishops and laity barged into a cupola at Piravom, set up in the name of St Gregorios of Parumala and offered prayers.
The police used force on the laity of this section. The previous day the representatives of the LDF government had assured protection for the Orthodox faction.

Now it seems the Orthodox Church is keen on bringing another Patriarch, this time from Syria, to muster support and mobilise their flock. This would be a sort of show of strength.

To an outsider, the squabbles arise from property matters. Riches and wealth are gnawing at the faith of the people. The meek inherits the Earth, according to the Bible. Both the factions should come to an agreement and call a halt to the dispute. Live and let live should be the policy.

Think of full social security
By O J George
I am wholly against governments, allied institutions, MNCs and other private and public ventures and individuals escaping with the booty they get during the present times of opening up the economy. All entities reaping gargantuan size of profits should be made accountable and pro rata levies should be made to feed the
social security network.

I don’t consider the present schemes of employment guarantee construction work scheme, various rozgar yojana or updated schemes as taking care of the social security of the people who are without an income.

Mind you, those opposing globalisation, privatisation and other capitalistic measures, particularly the left, communist, socialist and similar political varieties, oppose the steps purely on ideological line without thinking about the devastating effect on the people these measures bring in, as neither the government, the planning commission or responsible bodies are talking about implementing full social security schemes.

It should be brought home to the people that in those countries where fully capitalistic or near capitalistic measures are in place, there is fool-proof social security network. A single institution takes care of all the jobless income-less people. Minimum survival facilities are provided for the full term when they are income-less. The department provides help to secure suitable employment. Those who are without income are given social security benefits.

Here no political party is taking up this issue. We should have a nation-wide social security network, taking care of all income-less people.

Shunting out is painful

By O J George

Can we perceive the audacity with which employers are sacking employees, in the name of liberalisation and privatization? Jet Airways is dispensing with the services of nearly 2000 personnel, saying it has not been flying profitable services. What a pity? Did they not think about the prospects of the company when they drafted the workers? Where were their internal and external auditors prospecting the functioning?

Earlier, we had seen merger of Jet Airways and another one. Now Jet is hobnobbing with Kingfisher. Don’t know whether the firing is the result of underhand negotiations.

One day a low-cost, no fringe airline will come up, offering the moon to the passengers. After some time, it will merge with the likes of Kingfisher, sucking massive profits.

When sacking employees, do any of the flamboyant employer and his household dispense with any kind of luxury?

And where is the so-called government? In no capitalistic, liberalised developed country, companies are allowed to get away with windfall profits. Here in India, which is opening up its markets and allowing companies to have a free go, no restriction is placed on them from eating away windfall profits. Mukesh and Anil Ambanis, Tatas, Birlas, and all sorts of mega institutions are eating away windfall profits at the expense of the poor man on the street. Not in US, UK, France, Germany, Japan and the like, such practices would be allowed.

Why not tax the companies, institutions, and quick-buck-making entities to service the social sector. This is too much. The nonsensical explanation is that nearly 2000 workers are axed to save the job of 1000 persons. What a mess of an economy we are living.

Shunting out is painful

By O J George

Can we perceive the audacity with which employers are sacking employees, in the name of liberalisation and privatization? Jet Airways is dispensing with the services of nearly 2000 personnel, saying it has not been flying profitable services. What a pity? Did they not think about the prospects of the company when they drafted the workers? Where were their internal and external auditors prospecting the functioning?

Earlier, we had seen merger of Jet Airways and another one. Now Jet is hobnobbing with Kingfisher. Don’t know whether the firing is the result of underhand negotiations.

One day a low-cost, no fringe airline will come up, offering the moon to the passengers. After some time, it will merge with the likes of Kingfisher, sucking massive profits.

When sacking employees, do any of the flamboyant employer and his household dispense with any kind of luxury?

And where is the so-called government? In no capitalistic, liberalised developed country, companies are allowed to get away with windfall profits. Here in India, which is opening up its markets and allowing companies to have a free go, no restriction is placed on them from eating away windfall profits. Mukesh and Anil Ambanis, Tatas, Birlas, and all sorts of mega institutions are eating away windfall profits at the expense of the poor man on the street. Not in US, UK, France, Germany, Japan and the like, such practices would be allowed.

Why not tax the companies, institutions, and quick-buck-making entities to service the social sector. This is too much. The nonsensical explanation is that nearly 2000 workers are axed to save the job of 1000 persons. What a mess of an economy we are living.

A puny nun during her lifetime, now a saint

By O.J.George

Alphonsa was a puny nun by all known standards during her lifetime. She was unwell all the time. Ordinary mortals would have thought what service could this frail woman do to humanity.

It was only after her death, it seems, the church, the faithful and the religious found the purity and saintliness of this nun. For there was no cardinal, no archbishop or bishop present during her funeral. Father Romulus, the spiritual guide of the nun, declared on the occasion in all prophesy. Once the cardinals, bishops and the faithful would converge on the small hamlet at Bharananganam where her mortal remains were buried.

She was a member of the Franciscan Clarist Convent at Bharananganam. Her life was one of suffering and discharge of duties. She never did any social service by definition. She was suffering, praying and going through the rigid life. She wanted to do service to the Messiah in letter and spirit.

Her mother died when she was only three months old. She was brought up by the elder sister of her mother. The foster mother also died a few years later. She continued her studies and later joined the convent. There also various ailments were debilitating, but she discharged her duties most faithfully. Stories of a lot of miracles are doing the rounds. Many people were cured of their ailments at the intercession of Alphonsa.

Now she is being canonized. Pope Benedict XVI would proclaim the declaration about her sainthood at Vatican during holy qurbana at 9.30 am Vatican time, 12.30 Indian time on Sunday (October 12).

In the reckoning of God, puny figures are mighty beings

Investigation for what?

By O J George

It was amusing reading about the Home Minister of Kerala forwarding a petition challenging the phenomenon of Catholic bishops issuing pastoral letters to their faithful.


The petition preferred by a native of Thamarasserry challenges the constitutional validity of 13 Catholic bishops, including the prelate of Thamarasserry issuing pastoral letters and edicts.

It is reported in the press that earlier a similar petition was referred to the superintendent of police, Kozhikode Rural. It seems he had conducted a preliminary inquiry and submitted the report to the higher-ups.

To me the whole thing appears to be ludicrous. What has the state government to do with directions and instructions being given by bishops to the flock?

One should learn the fact that many of the books in the New Testament are letters, called epistles, written by the disciples of Jesus Christ and St Paul. These are letters asking them how to behave, how not to do evil, how to lead a Spartan and pure life and how to be witness to the life and works of Jesus Christ.

Would any government in the present world challenge the New Testament?

Maybe, if someone challenged the constitutional propriety or such other technicalities before a court of law, that should have been understandable. I am sure, such a petition would have been dismissed in limine, without taking the case on file.

That is one issue. Another sparkling thing I read was about Sathya Sai Baba of Puttaparthi deciding to sell off the airport at Puttaparthi, which is his own, as well as his ashram at Kodaikanal. He wants to build houses for those who lost everything in the deluge in Bihar and Asom. What a great gesture? This example should be emulated by all religious figures. Many of the religious leaders amass plenty of wealth and after their lifetime, their supporters quarrel over the properties.

The disciples of Christ were known for disposing of their properties and taking care of the poor. Whatever donation they got was treated as collective money to be used for the welfare of the have-nots.

Most of the worries would have a natural solution, if the accumulated wealth and properties are disposed of like this. But then, that is a far cry.

The pangs of democratic governance

By O J George

A local body enmeshed in power wranglings was the bull’s eye yesterday in Kottayam. The district panchayat, which gets a lot of funds from the State’s budget as well as from schemes pinpointed by the Union Government, has been buffeted by power play.

Thomas Kunnappally, the panchayat president would not yield to his party’s wish to hand over to another person. He belonged to Kerala Congress(M) of the UDF. As he opposed the UDF, the rival LDF tried to support him.

But the UDF preferred to a no-confidence motion against Kunnappally, whose wont was to vote against himself. Therefore he made himself scarce by finding an alibi to be at New Delhi. The 23-member council should have a quorum of 12 members to do any transaction. Kunnappally thought his absence would help to fulfil the quorum requirement and so he could save his seat.

The UDF pastmasters cajoled a maverick member, Biju Kaipparedan from the LDF, who voted in favour of the UDF’s no trust motion. Kunnappally lost his president’s position as well as the mandate of Kerala Congress(M).

What is intriguing is the stance of Biju Kaipparedan. He owes his allegiance to P C Thomas, a separate power centre within Kerala Congress (Joseph) group, which is in the LDF. What kind of explanation Joseph can offer to the LDF, without taking disciplinary action against Kaipparedan?

Is there any agreement between him and the UDF?

Things are going to be volatile in the coming days.

Orissa, Karnataka should be careful

By O J George

Orissa and Karnataka States have not been able to contain the attacks against the Christian community forthwith. The Centre says it has sent enough paramilitary forces to Orissa as asked for by the Naveen Patnaik regime. The Centre can only warn the States about taking strong action, particularly when no single-party regime or a powerful government is not available in Delhi for intrinsic reasons.

The Centre cannot easily dismiss a State government as it is weak in many ways. The action of dismissal has to be ratified by Parliament with two-thirds majority of members present and voting. Dr Manmohan Singh government has been moving heaven and earth to get simple majority for the nuclear deal. And at what cost?

Now that the left parties and the BJP and their allies are strongly arrayed against the UPA Government, strong action like dismissing the State governments, is unthinkable.

However, the State governments must find ways to put down the atrocities against the Christian community. If there is a will, evil elements can be dealt with. People have not forgotten the burning of Graham Steines and his two sons. It is a sad commentary on the part of any government to see that a large number of members of the Christian community are hiding in forests fearing reprisal from enemies.

Things are bad, so strong measures are called for.

The Nano swan song

By O J George

Now the deed is done, and the political blame goes on. The Tatas have had enough of it and decided to pull out from Singur in West Bengal where the Nano car project would have sprung up. Who was behind the vitriolic stir to unseat Ratan Tata from his pet project, which was supposed to have been a feather in the cap of West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee?

Sitting far away and only reading reports about the Singur stir, perhaps my comment may not be all-embracing. Still, one cannot comprehend the alacrity with which interested parties forced out the Tatas. An industry always brings in resources and benefits to the local people as well as the country.

No doubt there were problems with resettlement of the farmers or other landholders in the area acquired for the project. Wherever resettlement is needed, the terms of rehabilitation militate against practicality and the victims feel despondent. When the state powers pounce on them, the situation would turn vengeful. Actually a resettlement commission, with statutory powers, should be made available wherever acquisition of land is inevitable. The rehabilitation package should be negotiated. The government policy of giving compensation at the rate of the latest land deal in the adjacent plots should not be the sole criterion. The resettlement commission should be able to build houses for those who lose it. Genuine grievances should be addressed before forcing the native people out of the spots where an industry should come up.

Now industrialists would think twice before embarking upon projects at places where politicians play vulnerable games. Without the manufacturing sector kept at its producing best, no State can flourish.

Munnar mission again?

Chief Minister V S Achuthanandan has embarked upon another Munnar mission. It should be made clear who is being appeased?

In the earlier mission by his own chosen officials, various individuals, institutions and parties, including his own partymen from Idukki, had expressed reservations, if not stiff resistance. The Chief Minister has to beat a hasty retreat, from his chosen line of action and his avowed ideology.

The present attempt seems to be to alleviate the sufferings of some landless people. Perhaps he intends to dole away pieces of land to the landless from the seized lands.

Whatever action is being pursued in Munnar is besotted with a lot of problems. It would not be easy task, as so many players, interests and institutions are involved.

Now there seems to be dearth of faithful officials as well. The so-called conscience-keepers have all left the scene, for one reason or other.

And there cannot be a commando-like operation. That will enthuse the commoners, but legal and other relevant aspects have also to be kept in mind.

O J George

Innocence par excellence

I was living quite near the Qutab Minar in South Delhi for a few years. I am quite familiar to the Mehrauli market area where a bomb blast took place the other day. I felt like a baby crying for cruel elements eliminating human beings. One cannot kill a cat like this.

The Mehrauli area is known for its network of narrow lanes in the market. I remember the flower market lies in the beginning portion of the market network. Memories are vivid like I have been living there even now.

Youth are brainwashed to undertake acts of murder and cruelty in the name of religion we have heard. The undesirable argument is that if one becomes a martyr, he would go to heaven instantly.

In the present instance, it appears two youths left a packet in the area. Santosh, a 13-year-old boy saw the packet falling from the motorcycle. He ran after the youths with the packet shouting, “uncle you have forgotten to take your packet”. Don’t you feel like crying? The innocent boy was so truthful that he ran after the terrorists to help them out with their packet.

Would the Gods, of whichever religion they be, not grant instant moksha to this boy? What a perplexing world we live in?

O J’s Corner

Discrminatory conversion

I chanced upon some statistics about conversion of people into Buddhism. It seems there is discrimination about opposition to Christian conversion. Why are people violently disposed against Christians, whose missionaries had done a yeoman’s work to uplift the uneducated, superstitious people of yore? I am against all kinds of forcible conversion, or conversion which is inducement-generated. But this discrimination in treating Buddhist conversion and Christian conversion is inexplicable. Christians themselves should introspect about why there is so much of opposition against the grand religion whose bedrock belief is renunciation and service to others.

Coming to the figures, as many as 25,000 people got converted into Buddhism in 2005 in India, the figure rose to 45,000 in 2006 and more than one lakh in 2007. There was a grand function in Mumbai marking the occasion of the birth anniversary of Dr B R Ambedkar.

There should be serious introspection about the revulsion the Christians face at least among the hearts of a few.Maybe, we are not living the life of a Christian. Simple living and high thinking has become antediluvian.

O J’s Corner

Aswathy and her ilk would curse

Recently we heard about a girl, Awathy, hailing from Wayanad district, committing suicide as her bid to get admission to the plus one course had failed. She hailed from the tribal hamlet in Wayanad district. This time the plus one admission was through the single-window system. The government put down laws for admission. People should browse internet to know their position in the rank list for admission. Aswathy and her family members were living in the far-off forest hamlet. To come out of the forest domain, they should walk the difficult terrain for a day or more. They reached town on a few occasions and the procedure was not full. The school authorities could not do anything. It was impossible for her to know whether she would get admission. After a few attempts, the girl turned despondent and committed suicide.


We should mull over the situation. What is the directive principle enshrined in the Constitution? The state should strive to give suitable education for all. I would say if one has proved competence, he should be given the education he/she deserves, be it medicine, eingineering, computer technology or what not. Facilities lacking, there would be fierce competition. The have-nots are thrown away. The haves find admission in costly institutions. But let us not rest content that everything is hunky dory.

Even tribal hamlets, poramboke settlements and other tenements have bright students. I have seen brilliant students coming out magnificently well in life, challenging the struggles in slums in Dharavi, Bhandup and other chawls in Mumbai. IAS and IPS officers have been generated from these chawls.

No hurdle should be placed before brilliant students to come up in life. It is the duty of the society to help them.

O J’s Corner

Why are we the way we are?

It is a million-dollar question? We are born and brought up well nourished and taken care of extremely well. Take the case of those living around us. Some are well off, but many are going through untold miseries. Why did it come like this to them? Was it there choice? Was it our choice?

Where is the answer to the questions/? No one is here to answer. Job wanted to ask a lot of questions to God Almighty. But when God appeared before him, he was not given time to ask questions. God asked him some questions and Job was humbled.

Let there be myriad instances of good work done to fellow human beings. One has to gift things to fellow human beings, cash, dress or other things. Giving away things removes the curses, the sins and acts of hatred.

Hinduism has a special place in acts of gift. This would provide a cover to the protagonist from having rebirth in the form of dogs, cats, cows and other beings.

The soul or bioplasmic bodies would never get destroyed. Only the physical body which is mortal dies. The bioplasmic bodies hover over all places and find safe haven in other beings.

In this world where we livd for a few decades at the most, why are there so much acts of hatred, ill-will and selfishness? There is no room for such acts, but people do not understand.

O J’s Corner

Malayali’s mind etched in Onam canvas

I have always been wondering how and why Malayalis got together to celebrate Onam this big way. Was this an occasion to please all children in the families? We tell stories to the kids who, with their inquisitive minds, probe further and seek further. The grandmas telling stories to the young ones reach a crescendo that children believe everthing the old ones reveal. It may be about some poltergeist, chathan, arukola, maadan and the like, all feisty spirits capable of bringing devastation. My son is still horribly afraid of snakes. He has not seen a snake in his life. Once we went to the zoo and he kept off the reptile section, for fear of the snakes. He is also afraid of darkness. No doubt, the fear has come from the grandma telling stories in high drama. All right, let us leave it like that.

Come to Onam. Today is Thiru Onam, not only in Kerala, but also in the minds of all Malayalis living the world over. Be they Hindus, Christians or Muslims, they have a particular paranoia about Onam. These days the folks have been queuing up before all sorts of outlets vending edible and non-edible items. The occasion is so inclusive that computer firms, electric appliances dealers, and all have special packages. I don’t’ know why book sellers have not offered a new deal.

In olden times, when many people did not have sumptuous meals on all days, it was the Onam time when the family members had delicious full meals all through the 10-day festival from Attham to Thiru Onam. The beauty of the festival is that even the new generation has taken a liking for the legendary event. It seems the ardour would only increase in course of time. So, three cheers for the annual visit of Mahabali who wants to see all his subjects in camaraderie.

O J’s Corner

Amount meager, tradition great

I was amused by the tradition of the Kerala State Government offering panakkizhi (cash bag) to the women successors of the erstwhile Cochin dynasty.

In Kottayam, the government representative called on Soumyavathi Thampuratti, one of the 62 surviving women successors of the Cochin royalty, on Wednesday and presented her with the cash bag in all reverence and ceremony.
Do you know, how much the cash bag contained? The amount was Rs 15. In fact, the State Government is obliged to give only Rs 14 and a few coins. But of late, the Government was magnanimous enough to round off the figure to Rs 15.

After Travancore and Cochin kingdoms got themselves into the State of Kerala, it had become the bounden duty of the government to continue this practice. In fact, an order was passed by the government in October 1961 regarding the purse to be given over to the women members

The practice was started by some kings in the Cochin dynasty to enable the women members of the royalty to buy new clothes on the occasion of Onam, which is a great celebration in Kerala, which to others is a form of harvest festival.

Legends have it that in times of yore, an Asura king had ruled the state. Everything was hunky dory. The king took care of the needs of all his subjects. Gods were jealous about it and the asura king was trapped to give away the land to one of the Gods. Mahabali went to the nether world. He was allowed to make an ethereal visit to the land of Kerala once a year. It is during his visit that Keralites celebrate Onam, according to the legends.

O J’s Corner

Hair splitting on nuke deal

I was wondering why there is so much hair splitting on the nuke deal. India is entering into the 123 agreement with the US on the express provisions that the civil and military nuclear facilities would be separated and the deal covers only the civil amenities. Americans may have difficulty in stomaching the fact that India’s military nuclear projects would continue. Therefore, their governmental leaders would employ all the tactics to get the Congressmen on their side.

To my understanding, there is express provision to the effect that if India conducts another test, the US may withdraw from the present supply deal. Then India would be given a year’s time to look for other ways. India would be compensated for the losses.

India being a vast country with 1.3 billion people cannot be kowtowed by another country. If the deal goes off, the world will not come down. There can be supplies until disagreements turn up.