Potholes and pitfalls

Finance Minister Thomas Issac seems to be keeping a close watch on the potholes that have come up on state roads following heavy rains.

Finance Minister Thomas Issac seems to be keeping a close watch on the potholes that have come up on state roads following heavy rains. The CPM central committee member took over the Public Works Department after former incumbent P J Joseph,a Kerala Congress leader,exited from the Left Democratic Front LDF. Last week,Issac claimed that the department had filled 92,965 potholes on major roads,while 78,318 were still open. The economist has set aside toll-free lines where the public can complain about holes on the highways. Obviously,he has learnt lessons from the past. During the 2007 monsoon,when the highways were badly damaged,Issac had come under fire for his failure to allot money for pre-monsoon road repairs.

Bishops council warning on left Proxy candidates

In a bid to queer the pitch for the CPM in the ensuing elections to local bodies,the Kerala Catholic Bishops Council has urged the laity to beware of the Independents fielded by mainstream parties. It has been a Left practice in the state to launch Independents to win seats for the Front. A pastoral letter of the council says that the Independents would show their true political leanings after winning the election. They are proxy candidates of political parties. The council even looked down upon the Independents with good credentials,saying fielding them was only a strategy to win votes.

Blackmail fear on mind,law to curb lewd literature soon

Kerala is planning to bring in a legislation to curb publications which publish obscene stuff on public personalities,apparently for the purposes of blackmail. In an affidavit in the High Court,which was hearing a PIL seeking action against lewd literature,the Home Secretary said the government would make necessary amendments to the relevant section of the IPC. The HC was informed that instances of vulgar stories being published to blackmail public persons have been on the rise and the police have registered 160 cases in 2010 alone against publication and marketing of vulgar magazines.

The colour of blood: jamaat sees opportunity in joseph

The attack on college lecturer T J Joseph on the charge of insulting the Prophet in a question paper has given the Jamaat-e-Islami a chance to celebrate over blood,literally. With the critically injured lecturer requiring over a dozen litres of blood at the time of micro-vascular surgery,activists of the Jamaats youth wing,Solidarity,queued up to donate for him. The Jamaat-e-Islami mouthpiece,Madhyamam,proceeded to run articles,saying the blood of eight Muslim youths is flowing in the veins of Joseph,a Christian. Having moved hand-in-hand with the Popular Front of India during the question paper controversy last April,the Jamaat-e-Islami seems to have made a tactical retreat after the attack on Joseph.