Kerala model Assembly

The Kerala Assembly is no longer a model for the country, according to Defence Minister A.K. Antony. He said : "There was a time when the functioning of the Kerala assembly was a model for the country, but it no longer holds good, as bills are being passed without discussion. This does not augur well for the new generation. Both the treasury and the opposition benches are equally responsible for this.” This he said when he was addressing the valedictory function of the 125 years' celebration of the legislature of Kerala.

Seemingly, these all happened when he left the State after serving as chief minister three times, and was being a legislator in the house five times. Antony’s remark is rather a matter of introspection. And being the Defence Minister of the country he is bound to say which one of the states in the country has a model assembly. The legislature bodies in Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan and others are crammed with criminals and in that respect Kerala Assembly is a better one with lesser species.

It is not the practice of criticising a dead man at his funeral function. Likewise no one will like to say off-colourly  against an institution at its ceremonial function. It sounds as if, being the three time head of the Kerala Assembly, Antony could decant ill-words on it because he is the only ‘puritan’ among all Congress leaders who are entangled in corruption. Antony should understand that this sort of revelation to save his party will not work as peoples’ trust has been shifted to Aam Aadmi from Congress and other political parties, especially when leaders like Rahul and Karat have started learning lessons.

K A Solaman

Words are for deeds.

Words are not for deeds for most political parties in the country. But Aam Aadmi party has proved it wrong, The words are meant for deeds to them. The Delhi Jal Board (DJB) would provide 700 litres of free water per day to each and every household which has a regular water connection. The decision was taken after a meeting between Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's  and  members of the DJB. The cost of providing the free water would be borne by the DJB.

The promise of 700 litres of free water to every Delhi household was made in the Aam Aadmi Party's poll manifesto. If the other promises are also met then there will be no look back for AAP. ‘Young’ Rahul Gandhi and the ‘old ‘Prakash Karat will then learn more lessons from Aam Aadmi. Kerjriwal’s magic will turn out as a death blow to all hard-core corrupt politicians.

However, the interesting aspect is: all the abkaris, hoarders, black marketers, communal fanatics etc have expressed their willingness to work with AAP in different states.

K A Solaman

Strategic sessions

Strategy sessions with top leaders and Chief Ministers of Congress-ruled states by Rahul Gandhi  to make the party fighting fit for the Lok Sabha polls is of little use. People’s mandate solely depends of the good governance and not on the false promise party leaders place before them at elections.  

Congress failure in the polls in Delhi, Rajasthan and other states is due the corruption of the rulers. The huge price rise of essential commodities, diesel, petrol, cooking gas and what else persuaded people to think against the rulers and such thoughts should not immediately vanish if Rahul Gandhi along with some hard core politicians place a few strategic ideas to hoodwink people. The passing of Lokpal bill is not an attraction to common people and even if it comes as a strategy item, all except Mulayam have claim in it. The Congress alone could not get any benefit at election for passing Lokpal bill.  

K A Solaman

Perform and deliver Mr AK

It is quite interesting to see the gimmicks of Aam Aadmi party leader A Kejriwal. Latest in this direction is his appeal to all honest officers to get directly in touch with him. Possibly there will be a heavy rush from all ‘honest’ officers to serve under him. If an SMS to AK expressing willingness to serve make one honest, who will refrain from doing so.
Nevertheless.  AK forgot something about honesty. Honesty refers to a facet of moral character and connotes positive and virtuous attributes such as integrity, truthfulness, and straightforwardness. People can be turned honest by motivation and fear of punishment.

Kejriwal looks for a ready-made solution which will never materialize. He should know that if his ministers are honest, the officers cannot do corruption. Now, it is the time for him to perform and deliver and not to place some Utopian requests.

So, Kejriwal should stop such gimmicks and start ruling. Then he could understand who is honest and who is not? Don’t compel one to say himself that he is honest.

K A Solaman
The Hindu Business line published 27-12-13

Goatee mustache.

The term goatee is used to refer solely to a beard formed by a tuft of hair on the chin—like on the chin of a goat, hence the term 'goatee'.  By the 1990s, the term was also used to refer to the style of facial hair that combines a chin beard and a short moustache. When Christianity became the dominant religion Satan was being depicted with a goatee in medieval art. In the media, goatees have often been used to designate an evil or morally questionable character. Villains in cinema and serials often appear with goatees. The students with goatees are often a head-ache to college and school principals. Thus goatees designated evil characters and are used to signify a character's transformation from positive or neutral to evil.

My hitherto perception was also in the direction, that is, men with goatees are inherently sinister and threatening. However this acuity has come to an end after watching the Christmas ceremony of Pope Francis in Vatican. A few cardinals staged along with the Pontiff were goatees!

K A Solaman

New beginning

The lok pal bill was finally passed after more than four decades. It has paved the way for the establishment of an ombudsman to fight corruption in public offices and ensure accountability on the part of public officials. Even the prime minister falls within its ambit, although he enjoys some safeguards. Anna Hazare said that the bill meets most of his demands, and he thanked both the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party. But his estranged colleague felt that the bill has been compromised, rendering it toothless. 

Arvind Kejriwal must understand that something is better than nothing. Hazare had put pressure on the government to pass the bill through non-violent means, and it was due to the social activist’s efforts that the lok pal bill has become a reality. It is an important step in the fight against corruption. After eight failed attempts to pass the lok pal bill, Parliament finally gave its seal of approval to a powerful ombudsman. The bill has been drafted and redrafted by two parliamentary committees and now enjoys strong bi-partisan support.

The lok pal will be empowered to investigate complaints of graft against the mightiest of political figures and will be able to supervise the Central Bureau of Investigation at every stage of a probe. According to the bill, the lok pal will consist of a chairperson and a maximum of eight members, half of whom shall be judicial members and the rest from amongst the minorities and underprivileged sections of society. The common people have to fight corruption at every stage. Some more provisions in the bill would have made it more effective.

K.A. Solaman,  Kerala

The Telegraph, Calcutta published on 24-12-2013

Advantageous for BJP

May be  unconditional or conditional, it is an irony of fate that Kejriwal accepted the support of the party of the candidate whom he defeated in the election.  A very tough time is ahead of AAP as it is very difficult for them to achieve the goal what they have promised before election. AAP is starting to lose its credibility and failing somewhere. Congress Party has hidden agenda in supporting AAP.

Possibly the Government will be pulled down for some reason at any moment by the Congress party and it will be advantageous for BJP which still sticks to their earlier stance.

K A Solaman
The New Indian Express published on 25-12-2013

Dim-witted Ms Khobragade

It seems that India has ignored the plight of thousands of Indians working in the US in the backdrop of the issue related to Devyani Khobragade.  If one looks at the whole state of affairs the India Government has reacted unnecessarily taking the consular's personal servant issue forgetting that she has signed an affidavit stating she would abide by the US Labour law. She has accepted that she would to pay the required salary.  Servants are no lesser persons and if Ms Khobragade was not able to pay the requisite salary she should not have employed a servant. Today before the whole world India has become a laughing stock because of this dim-witted lady. The two nations are in the verge of confrontation over a silly servant issue.

Actually this consular must have tried to blackmail the servant stating she would make her husband arrested if she tried to act smart.  So the US govt has shrewdly acted and driven out the maid's family from India to US. And as a safe guard to the family they have arrested the consular. In that case what US did is fair. They have acted according to their law.  If Devayani had committed a gaffe she should be prosecuted.

Diplomatic immunity should not be a tool to outsmart a country’s justice system. Instead of raising all the hue and cry over this silly issue  India Government should help Khobragade fight it out in the US courts and get justice done as soon as possible. If Devyani Khobragade is innocent, she is sure to win the legal battle. And as far as US Justice System is concerned it is not that much bad as ours, I mean the snail's pace. An innocent diplomat has all the chances to get freed from the US court. If guilty it  would  be judged and punished without minding the diplomatic status of the guilty

K A Solaman

No benefit for cattle class

After a long wait of 46 years India has finally got a Lokpal, the one without teeth as Arvind Kejriwal put.  It is like keeping fried groundnut before a toothless person. Thanks to Anna Hazare for his continual slimming exercise, Rahul Gandhi for dipping pressure and Sushama Swaraj for a calming gesture.

One is quite surprised to see how could we celebrate the passing of this bill as there is nothing which would help common people. People face corruption in Taluk office, Panchayat-Municipal-City Corporation offices,  Food Supply office, RT office, Police station, Electricty Board office etc., and there is nothing in the bill to contain corruption in these offices. When the existing laws are sufficient to prevent corruption no ruler is concerned to implement them effectively. Even court orders are discarded by persons responsible for executing them.

Cattle class Indians are going to be little benefited from this bill. Gandhian Anna Hazare could repeat his ritual asking for executing the provisions of the bill. 

K A Solaman
The New Indian Express published  20-12-2013

Broom, broom, invisible broom

Aam Aadmi Party leader Kejriwal has lost his humility by correcting Anna Hazare, his mentor with his statement against Jan Lokpal bill. Kejriwal’s party won few seats in Delhi not because of his rhetoric but of the misdeeds of  Congress Party. The Congress Party Chiefs Minister Sheila Dixit’s statement that a four member family could live in Delhi for one month with just Rs 600 for their food requirement,  was sufficiently a reason for her  dethrone. The Delhi gang rape and the subsequent face-book postings were advantageous for Kejriwal and the BJP. The people needed a change, but they were not fully confident of Kejriwal and company and that is why people did not give an absolute majority to them.

The letters written by Kejriwal to the presidents of the Congress and BJP putting some utopian conditions show lack of his experience in politics and of course his haughtiness. To check corruption there is no need of challenging the leaders of other parties. If majority parties are unwilling to form ministry it would turn as a direct threat to common people. A subsequent election would turn out detrimental both Aam Admi and the BJP. Don’t punish the voters with another election.

When all the black marketers, hoarders and mafia gang  hail for Aam Admi’s ‘broom, broom, invisible broom’ it is the only available opportunity for Kejriwal inc. to show the mettle by forming a Government. Otherwise they will never get second chance to show their ‘honest venture’. ‘Make hay while the sun shines’ Mr Kejriwal; this is the only chance.

K A Solaman 

Unity run of George.

For quite long levelheadedness Govt chief whip P C George is seen lost. The latest incident in this course is his  flagging off the `run for unity' organised by the BJP in Kottayam. George shared dais too with the BJP Yuva Morcha activists. It is the habit of George to mistreat the Congress leaders and also his own party men.

The Run for Unity has been organised across the country for a colossal waste. One cannot understand the logic behind the construction of world’s longest 'Statue of Unity' of Sardar Patel in Gujarat.  The 182 metre long statue which is being constructed at a cost of Rs 2,000 crore is a huge waste ignoring the predicament of millions of poor people in the country.

George’s love towards Sardal Patel is funny like his pot tummy. P C George's stand is against the UDF, LDF and  himself. And it would be better for BJP not to invite loose-tongued person like George as it would spin as a huge lumber for the party. Casting off principles for a few votes is detrimental for any political party.

K A Solaman 

Grand win

Sunset in Goa

Viswanathan Anand’s rule as the undisputed world chess champion came to an end, much to the dismay of his fans. Anand lost his world title to Magnus Carlsen, the highest-rated player in the history of chess . Anand’s vast experience did not help him much in the 10 games he played against the 22-year-old Norwegian prodigy in Chennai. The former was playing on his home-turf. This might have acted as a disadvantage for him because of the resultant pressure.

 In spite of the loss of his title, Anand will remain one of the most respected chess players in the world. He is one of the few Indian sportspersons who have performed consistently well for several years and competed with the very best in the world. He deserves the Bharat Ratna.

K.A. Solaman, 

The Telegraph, Calcutta , Nov 29, 2013

Fall from grace

Titanic 2

The poll fiasco of the Congress must be humiliating for the party members. But it was bound to happen as they have not done much for the electorate. The Congress leaders did not act in time to punish the culprits who had illegally siphoned off money from the exchequer. They also allegedly tried to tamper with the activities of the Central Bureau of Investigation.

The BJP emerged stronger under the leadership of their prime ministerial candidate, Narendra Modi. So it managed to woo more voters.

K.A. Solaman,

The Telegraph, Calcutta dated 13-12-13

Boby-Maradonna-Messi collections.

Highly interesting to see that jeweller Boby Chemmanur is now in talks with Argentine footballer Lionel Messi to invite him to open gold shop Boby-Messi collection.  Mr Chemmanur had brought in Argentine football legend Diego Maradona as the brand ambassador of his jewellery in October 2012 in Kerala. Maradona inaugurated his Kannur showroom and a helicopter service, attracting huge crowd and stirring up the curiosity of football-lovers across the country. Chemmanur is now offering a Boby - Maradona collection at its jewelleries, airing an image that Mardonna is the son of an Argentine goldsmith.

Boby  with his ‘simple ancient’ attire ‘ chatta and mundu’ plays ‘marvellous’ football against Mardonna in his channel ads. One would be stunned to see when Boby outshines Mardonna in the play. Is this wickedness made on hand in his gold ornaments too?

How could a self acclaimed gentleman ‘ caring the poor and the disabled’ spend profligately to hoodwink the  buyers of  Boby-Maradonna-Messi collections?

-K A Solaman

Gold and football.

Interesting to see that jeweller Boby Chemmanur is now in talks with Argentine footballer Lionel Messi to invite him to open gold shop Boby-Messi collection.  Mr Chemmanur had brought in Argentine football legend Diego Maradona as the brand ambassador of his jewellery in October 2012 in Kerala. Maradona inaugurated his Kannur showroom and a helicopter service, attracting huge crowd and stirring up the curiosity of football-lovers across the country. Chemmanur is now offering a Boby - Maradona collection at its jewelleries, airing an image that Mardonna is the son of an Argentine goldsmith.

Boby  with his ‘simple ancient’ attire ‘ chatta and mundu’ plays ‘marvellous’ football against Mardonna in his channel ads. One would be stunned to see when Boby outshines Mardonna in the play. Is this wickedness made on hand in his gold ornaments too?  A self acclaimed gentleman ‘ caring the poor and the disabled’ should not spend profligately to hoodwink the  buyers of Chemmanur collections.

-K A Solaman

Aiyer, the joker.

,

Congress leader  Mani Shankar Aiyar ‘s statement  that  time has come for the Congress to sit in opposition is out of context. Where were this Aiyer for the last eight years when Manmohan Singh sat on the chair of PM? Mr Aiyer should be suspended from the Congress party for asking  to revert  Dr Manmohan Singh from the post of PM

Mani Shankar Aiyar lives in the past and his loyalties are totally misplaced.  He is insignificant in the Congress and the Indian politics. Aiyer’s words are absurd in the situation of a setback to Congress and no one in Indian politics takes him seriously.  He is indeed a joker in the Congress party.

-K A Solaman

Lesson for Congress.

The poor Indians could now take sigh of relief as there would be no immediate petrol price hike and a subsequent price spiral of essential commodities. The debacle of Congress is humiliating and it is due to their unconcern about millions of poor people. The major factors for the debacle of Congress party are non-transparency and corruption. The Congress leaders have done nothing to uncover the black money deposited in foreign banks by corrupt politicians from diverse parties. They misused even the CBI.

BJP and Modi are also factors for the debacle of the Congress. BJP leaders have  succeeded in exposing the corruption of  congress party. If wonders were not happen the next Parliament election would be a walk over for the BJP.

And the most interesting thing is the plight Left parties who rummage around for a third front. Their traces  are not seen in Delhi, Rajasthan, MP or elsewhere.

K A Solaman 

No action against FB?

Stories coming out in connection with   District Jail, Kozhikode are very interesting. A casual visitor outside the  jail compound could easily pick up one or two  hi-fi mobile phones as 21 of these accessories were found outside the Jail compound wall.  The indication is that  comrades are not akin to multinational company products.The Facebook accounts of the undertrials also made no secret of their pro-communist political leanings.

The jail authorities have transferred several of the jail officers and sought permission from court to transfer a few of the undertrials to other jails as a part of the cleansing action. Does it mean that FB is not available at other jails?
Possibly  the next action  from Home Deparrtment of Kerala will be against Mark Zuckerberg, the founder of FB and M D of Nokia company producing hi-tech mobile gadgets!

K A Solaman

Laughing stock.

For Opposition leader V.S. Achuthanandan and for some media stalwarts it is improper for CPM organ 'Desabhimani' to feature an advertisement by Chakku Radhakrishnan, an accused of abetting a company secretary's suicide. The contentious advertisement was appeared in  Desabhimani  in the Plenum day itself  and that arose the morality aspect of the party.

Nevertheless, all are concerned about the cost received by the daily for the advertisement. In all possibility  the fund transferred from the current account of "Chakku' and similar tainted persons is much higher than that needed for any.ad. Interestingly none is bothered about this aspect and thus the ad controversy has become a laughing stock. Thanks to Pannyan Raveendran or Binoy Vishwom this time for not putting CPM Plenum ceremony as an event management programme sponsored by some unscrupulous business men..

K A Solaman

Muzhappilangad Beach

Muzhappilangad Drive-in Beach (4 km length)^[1] is a beach in the state of Kerala in southwestern India. It is located parallel to National Highway 66(formerly National Highway 17) between Kannur and Thalassery.

Muzhappilangad Drive-in Beach

This beach is the largest Drive-In Beach in Asia . Even though Goa has many beautiful beaches, it does not have a Drive-in beach.

Muzhappilangad Drive-in Beach Sunset

Sunset at Muzhappilangad Beach

The beach festival is celebrated in the month of April and it is one of the important tourist attraction in the district of Kannur in Kerala. The youth also try many driving stunts in cars like drifting and wheeling in bikes as this is a paradise for driving along the shore. Just 100m from this beach you would find a private island, which can be reached by walk at times of low tide.

There is an unpaved road winding through coconut groves leading to the beach. To get to this road, if you are driving from Tellicherry towards Kannur, take the left turn just before the first railway crossing you encounter after crossing the Moidu bridge. The beach is about 5 km long and curves in a wide area providing a good view of Kannur on the north. Local laws allow beachgoers to drive for a full 4 km directly on the sands of the beach. The beach is bordered by black rocks, which also protect it from the stronger currents of the ocean.

Approximately 100–200 m south of the beach there is a private island called Dharmadam Island (Pacha Thuruthu in Malayalam, which translates to Green Island in English). It is possible to walk to the island during low tide.

Since the late 90's, the beach has seen a steady influx of European tourists during winter. even though the beach has attracted many lucky visitors into her,a major share of foreign and domestic tourists are not aware of the potential of this elusive destination.it is a must see destination for Indians as well as foreign tourists.after the face lift of the beach there has been a huge improvement in the facilities available to the beach visitors including resorts roads etc.

The beach is very wide and the sand is firm so driving is very smooth unlike other beaches.

Comment : I was on this beach at 5.30am on 27-11-2013 for a walk. A very good experience! A must see place!

K A Solaman 

Mani's volt-face

 Kerala Congress (M) chairman and finance minister K.M. Mani’s overture for a joint campaign with the Left against Kasturirangan recommendations and  his subsequent appearance for a talk at CPM Plenum  show his desire for a short term Chief Ministerial birth. Nevertheless, this would not materialize as Opposition Leader has out rightly denied any compromise with Kerala Congress or Muslim League.  And even if Mani becomes successful in becoming CM, the already split Kerala Congress will come in open to join  the two fronts. If Mani joins with LDF, Joseph will remain with the UDF and the prospects Mani's son becoming MP from Kottayam for one more session would end up in despair.

Mani's talk at CPM Plenum also indicates the medicrocity of CPM for an unsavoury alliance with communal groups. The CPM ideology has become a pastime story as they seek support from communal fanatics who speaks about a foul ideology known as  "adhwaana varga sidhaantham". The founder father of this ideology doesn't even know what does it signify.

 KC (M)  return to the LDF fold is detrimental for both K M Mani group and the official faction of the CPM. Achuthanandan's ground support will increase with the latest decision and electoral prospects LDF with Pinarayi and Mani at the top, will be very dreary.

K A Solaman

Malicious campaign

Presently for political parties in Kerala, the notorious way to tarnish a leader is by alleging his involvement in a sex racket. The latest target in this direction is   Union Minister of State for Civil Aviation K.C. Venugopal. He, according to Opposition, is a ' Vaanibha Minister'. But actually he is a nightmare to all left leaders searching for berth in Lok Sabha from Alappuzha.  No doubt alleged sleaze video recording of him with Saritha Nair of the the 'solar scam' is a part of this malicious campaign.
Why those who possess  the video are unwilling to  hand over it to the authorities for investigation? When all except a few from both fronts are not 'saints' in sex work why is unwarranted campaign?
What is now going in Kerala is a blackmail politics and this should end.

-K A Solaman
The Deccan Chronicle, Kerala published on 29-11-2013

Anand is great!

It is saddening  for every Indian to see that the Viswanathan Anand has lost his Chess World title.  His vast experience was seen not much effective before Carlsen. Carlsen perhaps experienced  magnificent  Indian hospitality. Possibly  the match at home turf was a little discomfortable for Anand.  Despite his title loss, Anand will  remain the greatest visionary of sports much ahead of any other Indian.  He hit the Indian glory to a star with Chess.  He  deserves the Bharat Ratna award. 

The people of India congratulates Carlsen and at the same time they are all with Anand.

-K A Solaman

Greatest teaching of Christ forgotten.

"Forgive and be kind" is the greatest teaching of Jesus Christ. Seemingly the disciples of Christ viz., the Bishops of Thamarassery and Idukki have forgotten this. They are trying to stir up a revolt in the name of the Kasturirangan committee report and their words such as "blood bath" at western ghat  and growth of Naxalism in the area are highly provocative.

The statement of Thamarassery Bishop itself is against the pastoral letter issued by the Catholic Bishop’s Conference in 2012 which stressed the need for conserving nature.  The Cardinal and the higher Church authorities should interfere immediately to correct these bishops. It is the prime duty of christian clergies to lead laity in peace and never persuade them for any revolt against the Government and the Mother Nature.

K A Solaman 
The New Indian Express published on 23-11-2013 under the title "Pastoral Sins"

Is National Highway for waste dumping?

The highway NH 47 is seen as a place for waste dumping. The sides of this road  are occupied by wayside vendors, especially the fish vendors and they are polluting the entire street. The walkway is also obstructed by vendors and it is tough time for commuters to move through.  Despite the vendors have been warned against dumping of waste along the roadside, nothing appeared to deter them from doing so. The covered lorries which carry iced  fish boxes pour out  filthy water continuously to the  road itself and makes it very difficult for two wheelers and walkers to move along  the road.

The authorities are not caring to keep the road and walkway clean. There are a lot of encroachments  in the NH side but no action is seen to be taken  to clear it.. It is high time for authorities to look into the matter. The immediate requirement is not the  sixty metre wide highway but the available one suitable for free travel of vehicles and walkers.
K A Solaman
The Deccan Chronicle, Kerala Published on 22-11-2013

In extremely poor taste

 

At a recent panel discussion, Ranjit Sinha, while expressing his views on legalizing betting in sports, made a comment for which he was forced to apologize later. His view reflects poorly on the investigative agency which probes several high-profile cases and is held in high esteem in our country. Though he made the remark to drive home the point that it was better to legalize betting in sports if it cannot be fought effectively, using rape as an analogy for the same was in extremely poor taste.

Sinha has apologized for his remark and explained that he was only citing an “inadvertent and unintended” analogy while discussing his views on gambling and betting. The implication was that rape, like betting, was inevitable in any society. However, many leading women’s rights activists in the country remain unconvinced. The National Commission for Women, dissatisfied with Sinha’s tepid apology, has called for his resignation.

References to rape should not be made in an insensitive manner. They severely compromise the attempts the country is making to deal with sexual assault.

K.A. Solaman, Kerala

The Telegraph, Calcutta, dated Nov 19, 2013

Give more fund to science

I don't think that Prof.C N R  Rao has out rightly called all the politicians "idots".  He said a fact that money funded to the field of science is below par. At the same time Rao must understand that being a developing nation, India has other priorities such as providing drinking water to all, education to all, shelters to all and many. Spending 453 crore for Mars mission only for knowing the presence of water in it is no so enthusing.
Rao's comment attracted headlines because it wasjust after a day the country honored  him with Bharath Ratna.  It is true that the attitude of bureaucracy is a major handicap in the advancement of science in the country.
The political administrators can now think sanctioning more funds for the development of science.

K A Solaman

Poor man’s fish sardine.

A BPL card holder may get 1kg rice for Re 1, nevertheless he would not get one sardine for the same. The price of poor man’s fish has sky rocketed and its current price is Rs.140 a kg at way side vendors.  The  price spiralling is not only due to the export of sardine but due to the nexus of fish vendors. Fish vendors are now a mobile phone class and they collectively decide the price of sardine as it is done by merchants in the sale and purchase of gold.

Modern medical advances also helped sardine to obtain this high status as it is known to all that it is considered as one of the cheap sources of Omega 3 fatty acids. Unless the Matsyafed or the Civil Supplies Department do something to sell sardine at affordable price, the poor man will die on need of  essential nutrients.

K A Solaman

Indiscreet remark

I was taken aback to read about the remark made by no less a person than the CBI chief. How could he be so insensitive on a burning issue? Did the protests in Delhi have no impact?

K.A. Solaman, Alappuzha

The Hindu dated Nov 15, 2013

Life’s like that!

It is a quirk of fate that Lalu Prasad Yadav, former Bihar Chief Minister, Central cabinet minister, IIM teacher and one-time hero of Indian youngsters, is now a gardener at Birsa Munda Central Jail in Hotwar. He earns Rs 14 a day and is apparently happy tending lawns, flower beds and vegetable patches. The job should help him deal with having eaten away the fodder of cattle.

K. A. Solaman, Alappuzha

The Hindu Business Line, Nov 5, 2013

Illegal gold.

The latest report of raid in connection with the arrest of two women from Karipur airport with 6 kg of gold in their possession reveals that the incident is not an odd one. It is one of the series of attempts to smuggle gold to Kerala. Possibly the gold now sold in many of the jewellery shops are not legitimate. The arrest of Nabeel, the prime accused in the case,  his association with film stars and the stars appearing for gold shop ads, point that the racket is not a diminutive one. And  without the backing of gold merchants all these gold cannot be sold out.
Interestingly the photo of Nabeel along with a super star aired by a channel vanished immediately after the first telecast.  The agency investigating the possible links of  the gold smuggling racket may be forced not to disclose the name of the super star and the gold dealer associated with him.

Gold smuggling has caused huge loss to the state exchequer. And at the same time gold purchased and owned by many clients is not genuine.

K A Solaman

CBI head trivializing rape

Now only one understood the the significance of Guwahati HC ruling to abandon the CBI. The person like director Ranjit Sinha on the top of CBI makes it an unnecessary body and an agency to revert the cultural values of the country.

Sinha, one coming out in support of legalizing betting in sports, said, "If there are lotteries in states, if we can have casinos in tourist resorts and if government can declare schemes for voluntary disclosure of black money, what is the harm if we legalize betting?"

He added, "Above all, do we have the enforcement agencies? If you can't enforce it, it is like you can't prevent rape, enjoy it. It is better to legalize it and earn some revenue rather than throwing up your hands."

The head of country's crime investigating agency  trivializing rape is a bolt on country's psyche.

K A Solaman

Split and grow KC

Split and grow-that is the motto of Kerala Congress party. The singer minister P J Joseph is in no mood for a new song even if Chandralekha invites him for a duet.  A split is likely to arise in the party. This crisis was not created because of the adamant stand of christian clergies but of the loose tongue of party's Vice-Chairman P C George. The Joseph faction needs George to be ousted from chief whip post. With no end to the crisis at the expert panel the Joseph group is going all out with their demands. After the tough job handling Shwetha Menon,  this is yet another major issue in the offing for Chief Minister Oommen Chandy to resolve. Truly as Yogam Secretary said, Oommen Chandy plays role of 'Snake Velayudhan".

Francis George of the Joseph faction openly said he would not continue in the party. He also warned that he would be forced to quit from the party if P C George is not removed from the chief whip post.

As Mangalyaan orbit expanded, Oommen Chandy will soon expand the UDF with more constituent parties, one being the Joseph group Kerala Congress!

K A Solaman

Shocking Haiyan

It is shocking to hear that the super typhoon Haiyan had  destroyed entire towns across the Philippines and  believed to have killed more than 10,000 people. Certainly,  as authorities put, it is that  country's deadliest natural disaster.

Phillippines seems to be a most vulnerable island nation in the world which is regularly battered by Cyclones. The people there, though accustomed to such furies of nature, cannot help but to suffer the heavy loss of life and property regularly.   Let us hope all Nations come forward to lend a helping hand to the Philippines. One wonders why there were no meteorological warnings to the people. The underground places could have, of course, saved many lives from typhoon, but no such escape has been reported.

When a  similar catastrophe was experienced recently in India's east coast and south central areas, the loss of lives were minimal with near perfect advance warnings. Thousands of lives of poor fishermen in coastal areas were saved by shifting them to safe camps. Perhaps the small size of the island country prevents an escape from fast running typhoon.  It hoped that Philippines would soon recover from the trauma caused by Haiyan.  

K A Solaman 
The Deccan Chronicle, Kerala, published on 12-11-2013

Aadhaar ruling.

The Supreme Court ruling on Aadhaar is a big blow to the Government. The money used for the project could have been used to provide drinking water in backward and tribal areas.

When people have a voter ID card, PAN card, ration card, what was the need for yet another card? Some people have started getting LPG subsidy via Aadhaar-linked bank account. What about those who have not procured their Aadhaar card?

K.A. Solaman, Kerala

The Hindu Business Line, Sept 24, 2013

Miss Universe 2013

Miss Universe 2013 Gabriela Isler, from Venezuela,
-K A solaman

Ommen Chandy's poser

Chief Minister Oommen Chandy'  question to CPM that who would be held responsible for the huge financial loss to the State in the SNC-Lavalin deal following the discharge of the accused persons in the case, is pertinent. The Malabar Cancer Centre at Thalassery had been promised Rs. 100 crore aid through the deal, but the centre had not received the assistance. The reason for this has to be probed and those responsible for it were answerable to the people.

The CAG, the Vigilance department and the CBI have found corruption in tune with Rs 374 crore in the  Lavalin deal. And the CBI court dismissing the case without proper trial is conspicuous. How can a court exonerate the guilty persons involved in the case when the court itself is not an investigating agency? The court has not done any proper trial.

It is also interesting to see the Opposition leader V S Achuthanandan, who accused Pinarayi as the number one involved in the case, backtracking under the assumption that the CBI lower court verdict is final.

K A Solaman   

Quirk of fate for Lalu Prasad Yadav

It is a quirk of fate that  Lalu Prasad Yadav,   the former  Bihar Chief Minister, the  Central cabinet Minister,  the IIM teacher and one time hero of Indian youngsters,  is now a gardener at  Birsa Munda Central Jail in Hotwar.  He earns Rs 14 a day for gardening and is apparently happy with tending lawns, flower beds and vegetable patches at the Jail.

The job of gardener is much suited him as his feeling of guilt for having eaten away the fodder of cattle could be repented by farming fodder. If he was a milkman instead of gardener the cattle would have knocked him away with their back legs. The Harvard Business School Lecturer would no longer be an invitee there.

K A Solaman

Exaggerated incident for two day ‘blah-blah’

In the Swetha Menon-Kurup incident at Kollam word molestation is being freely used.  Molestation is a statutory offense which causes another person to engage in an unwanted sexual act by force or threat. In Swetha Menon’s case what kind of force or threat has been made by Kurup before the public, is unknown. The incident was a matter of two day long ‘blah-blah’ for the channels and it would continue. I think the news reporters and the debaters consider molestation as a different subject. Touching whether intentionally or accidentally are taken up as molestation, what should be the name given to serious sexual offences ?

 Now, coming to the incident, this actor is becoming more and more a social nuisance of late. Having no major project in her kitty she demands all the sort of notoriety.  And that begins from her ‘Kamasuthra’ ad to Kollam incident via  Kalimannu cinema.  I see too much exaggeration in the whole incident.  As a popular politician of Kollam with common man’s attire Mr Kurup is a nightmare to his rivals. And hence  the conspiracy from some corners to blemish him cannot be ruled out.

K A Solaman

Leaders should restrain

It is quite unfortunate to see that some unidentified miscreants had set ablaze the memorial of P. Krishna Pilli, founder-leader of the Communist movement in Kerala, in Alappuzha. It triggered a verbal fight between Left and Congress leaders. The call for a dawn-to-dusk hartal in the district on Friday is a pre-runner to possible agitations in the offing as there are more statues of the leaders elsewhere in the state. Defacing the bust of  Krishna Pillai is a heinous act.  It all happened on the heels of the attack on Chief Minister Oommen Chandy at Kannur.

More interesting is verbal fight of the leaders from both the fronts. While Pinarayi put the Kannur episode as the outcome of mutual fight in the Congress party, KPCC president Ramesh Chennithala returned it in the same coin by blaming factionalism within the CPM in the locality for the Kannarkatt incident. What is needed is; more restrain from top brasses of both fronts. 

K A Solaman

Unpardonable attack

The pre-planned attack by some miscreants on Kerala CM injuring him is unpardonable. The guilty should be given no mercy. Though the some leaders say their party has no connection with the attack, all are of one opinion that the leaders should be spared from attack. It was the followers the suffering lot for quite long. Interestingly tendency has been changed as leaders are also now targeted for assault.

 The CPM has denied their involvement in the attack and they are of the firm belief that no CPM worker was involved in this incident. Nevertheless the 21 arrested are strong CPM cadres

For those who have been arrested it will be a tough time the coming two years. After that they are the heroes and that is why more and more people indulge in political offence.

K A Solaman

Kerala kangaroo court.

On one aspect Chief Minister Oommen Chandy's mass contact programme is a welcome move as the poor and needy people get their requests to Government attended. Nevertheless, the programme is an obvious example of bureaucratic inefficacy in the State.  If officials were not unwilling to hear the complaints of the people the paraphernalia of spending 2-3 crores for conducting mass contact programme can be out rightly avoided.  The success of mass contact program makes officials to keep more and more files ready for the clearance of the CM when he turns out for the programme.

Interestingly the mass contact programme is not seen elsewhere in the world as it would send wrong message regarding bureaucratic failure in that country. So, in other way the Ommen Chandy government tells the world that the rule under him is topsy-turvy.  With mass contact programme the Kerala Government has turned into a Kangaroo court where the government officials are not accountable to any one.

Doing something for the common man should not be by mass contact programme but  by making the officials responsible. Chief Minister of a State need not do all the clerical works.

K A Solaman 

Face the music

A special court has found the former chief minister of Bihar, Lalu Prasad, guilty in the notorious fodder scam case. This is a big blow to the Rashtriya Janata Dal and the former politician’s career. It will change the political scenario of Bihar to a great extent (“Verdict that can re-engineer political and social equations”, Oct 1). Prasad was was found guilty of corruption, criminal conspiracy and cheating in the 17-year-old fodder scam case. According to the established norms of a recent judgment delivered by the Supreme Court, he stands disqualified from Parliament and is ineligible for contesting elections for at least six years. The Centre has been lambasted by various critics for allegedly attempting to protect convicted ministers by trying to introduce a controversial ordinance that negated the verdict of the apex court. The fodder scam involved the siphoning of funds from the Chaibasa treasury (which is now in Jharkhand) during Prasad’s tenure as the chief minister of Bihar in the 1990s. The theft spanned several years, and many state government administrators and officials were involved in it. This verdict will send out a strong warning to corrupt politicians of the entire country. K.A. Solaman,  Kerala The Telegraph, Kolkata Oct 4, 2013

Vidyarambam.

'Vidyarambham'  is an auspicious occasion and that is why thousands of children attend this  ceremony to mark the beginning of their learning. A heavy rush is seen at places where this ceremony is held. In  most places the administers of the first letter are little learned and unlearned ‘poojaaris’. A few wicked politicians also have acted as gurus. The fate of these children is beyond one’s imagination.

Interestingly a few parents seek the service of more than one guru as a precautionary measure.

K A Solaman 

Andhra division –a foolish act.

Divide and rule is the policy of Manmohan singh Government and it is evident from the bifurcation of the State of Andhra Pradesh. Division of Andhra Pradesh is a hasty and thoughtless act.  The issue of capital has been pushed to 10 years and the people will still have the problem later. It is not only the case of division that accompanies the expenses of building a capital, but also it involves the salaries and perks of a cabinet.  The cost to the Government exchequer is huge and where does the Congress intend to bring this amount is unknown?

The State of Andhra has already suffered from a long period of strike and the strike will likely to intensify. The loss of revenue due to this strike is huge.  Normal life was paralysed in Coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema regions. The united Andhra supporters blocked highways and enforced closure of shops and other commercial establishments and educational institutions in the two regions. Sporadic incidents of public and private property being attacked also came in from many districts.

Political parties will now start taking advantage of this situation and there will be a repeated show of militancy. The ultimate losers are the common people. The division has not benefited anybody except a few Congress leaders, nevertheless, they should also feel the heat due to the uncontrollable violence in Andhra.

K A Solaman