KANHANGAD: POWER Minister M M Mani seems to be still smarting under the onslaught he faced on social media after an RTI data revealed his official car — a Toyota Innova — changed 34 tyres in 30 months. Though he explained away the high number of tyre change to the rough terrain of Idukki in a Facebook post, he is not ready to let go of those who hinted at corruption in tyre procurement.
Addressing a convention of Kerala School Teachers’ Association --- an organisation affiliated to the CPM --- in Trikaripur, the minister said the person who sought the data on tyres was a ‘stinker’. “I’ve only one thing to say to him. Don’t mess with me,” he said. He said some media houses in the state were trying to target him. “But those raising baseless allegations have no knowledge about the job of a minister. A minister’s job is not to change tyre,” he said.
For that, there are officials in the Department of Tourism and the vehicle’s driver.
Mani said his party, the CPM, and he were always ready to own up to mistakes, if there were any. To the teachers gathered at the Government Vocational Higher Secondary School, Trikaripur, the minister said: “I’ve studied only up to Class V. But I’ve more more experience than you all in social and organisational work”.
For 55 years, Mani said, he had not done any other work. He cautioned the teachers against being apathetic to society. “You should not repeat what the teachers in Wayanad did,” he said, hinting at the criminal negligence of teachers of Sarvajana Government VHSS. at Sultan Bathery in taking a student to hospital after she was bitten by a snake in her classroom. Shehla Sherin, 10, died after four hospitals refused to administer anti-venom on her.