The Hindu : Kerala News : Mani defends exclusion of Jacob

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Nov 25, 2004

Kerala

Kerala

Mani defends exclusion of Jacob

By Our Special Correspondent

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, NOV. 24. The Revenue Minister, K.M. Mani, said here on Wednesday that denial of ministership to the Kerala Congress(Jacob) leader, T.M. Jacob, was not a major issue in the United Democratic Front.

The Minister told presspersons that exclusion of Mr. Jacob was a well-thought out decision taken by the Congress high command. It was not right for Mr. Jacob to repudiate the Government and his colleagues just because he had been dropped from the Cabinet.

Mr. Jacob, he said, was criticising him as if Mr. Jacob had lost his mental balance. He did not proposed to respond to them in the same manner. Mr. Jacob had made public speeches against him in the past also. Those were occasions when he split the party or joined other groups. He had ignored the criticism then also.

Sex scandal

Replying to questions on the ice-cream parlour case, Mr. Mani said that Government was doing its duty in the case. Its duty was to prosecute the accused. The law was taking its course. It was not correct to say that the law was taking the course dictated by the Industries Minister, P.K. Kunhalikutty. The Government let no one escape the law. At the same time, blackmailing would not be allowed.

Rajya Sabha seat

Mr. Mani said that his party would be pressing for the Rajya Sabha seat that had fallen vacant. He did not propose to make a hue and cry over the demand, as the UDF would consider legitimate demands of its partners.

The party would organise a farmers' meet in Ernakulam on November 27 to highlight the problems of the farmers and seek solutions.

Mr. Mani, who was in Delhi early this week to attend the Conference of State Revenue Ministers, said that he had pressed for farm loans at lower interest rates. The farmers were not getting the same consideration that the corporates were getting from the Government and the banks. The nationalised banks were prepared to offer loans at low interest rates to the corporates. But they charged higher rates from the farmers.

He said that the State hoped to get assistance from the Centre soon to help people affected by natural calamities on the basis of the memoranda submitted by it earlier.

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