Piravom opted for a young minister

The people of  Piravom has made it's selection wisely. They opted for a young minister instead of an MLA in the opposition. Anoop Jacob, son of late T.M. Jacob, has won the Piravom by election by a margin of 12,070 votes. He bagged 82,756 votes, whereas his immediate opponent M.J. Jacob (CPI-M) received 70,686 votes. BJP candidate K.R. Rajagopal could collect 3241  votes.

Anoop represents Kerala Congress (Jacob) in the United Democratic Front (UDF).

A victory in Piravom was a necessity for the  UDF  government, headed by Oommen Chandy, though a defeat could not topple it . The Chief Minister dared even to declare that the by election will be a verdict on the performance of the  government over the last nine months. The UDF started campaigning by putting the right card before the people of the constituency and it paid back: a young minister.

Leaders from both fronts had left no stone unturned in a fierce campaign which lasted several weeks. CPI(M) state secretary Pinarayi Vijayan and leader of the opposition V.S. Achuthanandan lead the LDF campaign while the UDF deputed a minister for each Grama Panchayat to lead its workers. People got surprised seeing top leaders on their courtyards and ministers in morning walk on the inroads of their villages.

The campaign started on developmental issues and took turns when the CPI(M) MLA from Neyyattinkara, R. Selvaraj resigned and when V.S. Achuthanandan put some "curry leaves" into the fray. V.S said that the Congress (I) threw out Sindhu Joy, ex-leader of SFI,  like used curry leaves. (His first remark insinuated a "fallen woman" imagery, and he later clarified it as "used curry leaves."}

Kerala homes go out of News papers

Kerala, the land of strikes and hartals , observes a novel one today, probably a unique one to boast of. News paper agents in the state have started indefinite strike by boycotting news papers. Mouth-pieces of political parties like Deshabhimani, Janayugam, Chandrika,  Janmabhumi and Veeskshanam are exempted.

Strikers demand 50% of the news paper - prize as commission, yearly bonus, provident fund etc and lot more. Now they get a commission of about 30%. Major news papers like Malayala Manorama, Mathrubhumi, Kerala kaumudi,  under the aegis of  Indian Newspaper Society (INS) are all opposing the demands. In their view, agents can not be considered as staff of a news paper, and the relation between a news paper and its agents is purely  product - discount based. Product discount means, a product, like a bath soap, is offered to the seller at a lower prize and he resells it at the cover prize (MRP).

The strikers say, they can not meet the cost of distribution from the meager commission. Usually, agents with more than 100 copies hire news paper - boys (probably  school - going children), on monthly remuneration basis,  for distribution. Even a hike in the prize of petrol shoots the cost of distribution, as motor bikes are used for distribution. (Bicycle is rarity in God's own country!). An agent's duty starts at 3 am by collecting news paper bundles from the road. They sort it, insert supplements and start distribution before dawn. They work almost 365 days a year and can't take a holiday even on the death of a beloved person, the strikers point out.



 The INS counters this by pointing out that, most of the agents do other jobs also, since their work end at 8 am.

Both parties are continuing argument. But what casts a shadow over the strikers, is the role of CITU, the trade unition of Communist Party of India (Marxist) in the strike and also the timing of the strike. The protest is under the aegis of News paper Agent's Association (CITU) and Deshabhimani is excluded. March is the month at which Audit Bureau of Circulation (ABC) gathers figures on circution of each news paper. CPI(M) think tanks found an opportunity to promote the circulation of Deshabhimani, by timing the strike in March. A higher figure in ABC books means higher revenue from advertisements. Another major intention behind the formation of the Association is to tame Malayala Manorama, a major hurdle in the activities of CPI(M).

Any way,  Malayalees are  now  forced to change their habit of starting the day with coffee on one hand and their beloved news paper on the other. 

Attukal ponkala tomorrow

Attukal ponkala is celebrated tomorrow, at Attukal Bhagavathy temple, Trivandrum. Three million women from Kerala and abroad are expected to participate in the festival, which starts in the morning at 10.15, by imparting fire to ovens (ponkala aduppu) laid  around the temple and most parts of the capital city.  Boiled rice or ponkala is prepared and offered to the goddess in erthern pots.

Chottanikkara Makam tomorrow

The famous Makam Thozhal is celebrated tomorrow at Chottanikkara Devi Temple in Ernakulam district. The Sanctum sanctorum of the temple will be opened at 2 pm for the devotees to offer worship.

Elaborate arrangements are done by the temple authorities and the district administration to ensure hassle free celebrations. Water and snacks will be provided for the devotees who wait on queue. Pandal is set up on nearby roads also to provide shade. 900 police officials and shadow police will be present to ensure law and order.