THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Chief Minister Oommen Chandy has said that former Minister and Kerala Congress (Jacob) leader T M Jacob’s contributions as legislator and administrator were exemplary to the new generations of legislators. Inaugurating the T M Jacob remembrance meet organised by the T M Jacob Memorial Trust here on Tuesday, Chandy said that Jacob could prove his mettle in all the fields he had worked. He said in the 1970s the UDF and Congress party could create history by managing to get elected seven youth leaders including T M Jacob to the Assembly.
He recalled that it was K Karunakaran’s leadership which helped the youth leaders to hone their skills in the legislator business. Among them, Jacob’s was phenomenal growth as an efficient legislator.
“Before Jacob’s election to the Assembly at an young age in the 1970s, it was only R Balakrishna Pillai’s election to the Assembly which caught the attention of public. That tradition got a continuity when K M Mani could bring Jacob and others to the Assembly in 1977,” he said.
Comparing Jacob’s performance with that of his in the Assembly, Chief Minister said he could not claim such a glittering record of Jacob in participating in the legislator process. Only once in over 44 years’ of legislatorship he could intervene to prolong the debate during the business for around two hours. But that was at the behest of K Karunakaran, Chandy said. Whenever there was an introduction of a Bill in the Assembly, the UDF leadership had no tension as Jacob was present in the House, the CM said.
Paying glowing tributes to his performance as Education and Cultural Minister, Chandy said it was Jacob who made the Department of Culture an important one. In his latest stint as Civil Supplies Minister in the first 100 days of the current UDF Government, he could create a history by implementing Rs one per kg rice scheme and ration cards on demand. K Muralidharan MLA, presided over the function. Trust chairperson Daisy Jacob distributed the awards. P C Vishnunath MLA, was presented the best legislator award. B V Pavanan and Sreedevi Pillai were given the best print and TV journalist awards respectively instituted by the Trust. The awards carry cash prize of Rs 25,000, citation and memento. Jury chairman Sunnykutty Abraham and George Onakkoor spoke. Former Speaker K Radhakrishnan was the chief guest. Food and Civil Supplies Minister Anoop Jacob, Kerala Congress (Jacob) chairman Johny Nelloor spoke.