This Week Kerala

The CPI M-affiliated Kerala State Teachers Association recently put the Education Department,managed by party central committee member M A Baby,in a difficult position....

Question paper puts Baby on the backfoot

The CPI M-affiliated Kerala State Teachers Association recently put the Education Department,managed by party central committee member M A Baby,in a difficult position. A question paper for last weeks half-yearly higher secondary exam,prepared by the association,carried an insulting remark on the late wife of union minister Vayalar Ravi. The controversial question was to write a letter to the editor of a daily,protesting against the front page coverage given to Congress leader Mercy Ravi,who died early last month. The question also carried a statement catered to the rich and the powerful,which should be deplored. Amidst mounting protests,Education Minister M A Baby tendered an apology and ordered a departmental probe into the incident.

BOT projects finally get the nod

After years of protest against tolled roads and bridges,the Kerala government last week decided to develop five national highways in the state with private participation. Political parties,particularly the Left,had earlier taken a tough stand against such build-operate-transfer BOT roads. They had even foiled the PWDs attempt to collect toll for railway over-bridges constructed using HUDCO loan. Due to the protest,the department has had to abandon several rail over bridges planned with aid from various agencies. The stiff resistance against BOT road projects had left Kerala far behind other states in highway development. Though the state has six NHs with 1,565 km,the four-laned stretch is only 63 km.

Divakarans unlucky scrapes

These days,CPI leader and Food Minister C Divakaran seemed to be destined to face public ire over government lapses. After the Thekkady boat tragedy,when the victims bodies reached Delhi airport,Divakaran,who had been in the national capital on an official visit,went to the airport as the states representative. At the airport,indignant relatives of the victims turned against Divakaran for the governments failure to ensure safety for tourists. Do not put me on trial, was the ministers plea then. Last week,a bike rider died after his vehicle rammed into an unscientifically-erected speed breaker on a Kerala highway and the local mob had grown quite irate. Divakaran,who was travelling via that stretch soon after the accident,was waylaid by angry locals who damaged his car.

Namesakes threaten to play spoiler

Ex-CPM MP A P Abdullakutty,who is the Congress candidate for the bypoll in Kannur,has seven namesakes threatening to spoil his chances. His CPM rival M V Jayarajan has only one namesake. Namesakes had proved their strength in sabotaging verdicts in the past. Senior Congress leader V M Sudheeran had lost the LS election in 2004 after his namesake garnered more votes than the rival candidates majority. Ditto was the fate of Muhammed Riyas,CPM candidate from Kozhikode in the recent LS elections. It remains to be seen if the battery of namesakes would leave Abdullakutty behind in the poll battle at the hustings.