The Hindu : Kerala / Thiruvananthapuram News : Test of a different skill set for legislators

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Thursday, Apr 24, 2008
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Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram

Test of a different skill set for legislators

Staff Reporter

—Photos: C. Ratheesh kumar

All in the game: Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan taking salute at a march past by MLAs in connection with an athletics meet at the Chandrasekharan Nair Stadium in Thiruvananthapuram on Wednesday to mark the golden jubilee of the State Legislature; right, P.K. Sreemathy proves that she is fit to hold the Health portfolio; far right, the Chief Minister tries his luck at the 400m heats.

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: It was an event devoid of political acrimony or bitterness, a competition that saw the triumph of sportsman spirit over one-upmanship.

A two-day athletic meet for the members of the State Legislature that got under way here on Wednesday won the hearts of the participants and the spectators alike.

The proceedings began with a march past by the members of the four houses – Green (led by Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan), Yellow (led by Leader of the Opposition Oommen Chandy), Blue (led by Minister for Sports M. Vijayakumar) and Red (led by Speaker K. Radhakrishnan), around the stadium.

Ministers’ team

The Yellow house led by Mr. Chandy turned out to be a ‘high profile team’ with maximum participation from Ministers, including Food and Civil Supplies Minister C. Divakaran, Water Resources Minister N.K. Premachandran, Education Minister M.A. Baby, Transport Minister Mathew T. Thomas, Public Works Minister Mons Joseph, Forests Minister Benoy Viswom and Labour Minister P.K. Gurudasan. The events began with a 400m heats for men above the age of 50. The participants included Mr. Achuthanandan, Mr. Chandy, Mr. Baby and Mr. Viswom. Though M.J. Jacob of the Blue house was declared the winner, the loudest applause, predictably, was reserved for the octogenarian Chief Minister who was the last to complete the event in his characteristic gait.

The 400 m heats for women above the age of 50, which followed the men’s event, too witnessed a spirited contest, with the surprise inclusion of Health Minister P.K. Sreemathy. K.K. Lathika of the Blue House was the winner of the event. A pledge urging the participants to maintain camaraderie and sportsman spirit was read out by the Speaker after the march past.

The events scheduled for Thursday include basketball, volleyball, football, handball and tug-of-war. The meet was also an occasion for the MLAs to express solidarity with the upcoming Olympic Games

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