Kerala witnessed only a Bihar model of development where the priority was given to the wellbeing of the family members of those who assumed key positions in the State, former Director General of Police Jacob Thomas has said.
Delivering the keynote address at a seminar on ‘Development: Where does Kerala go wrong?’ organised jointly by the Bharatheeya Vichara Kendram and Seva Bharathi in connection with Dr.K. Madhavankutty memorial meet, the retired IPS officer said the Left Democratic Front (LDF) and the United Democratic Front (UDF) candidates in the Lok Sabha election fray were seeking votes highlighting secularism as they had nothing to speak about development.
“It was the poverty and corruption in Bihar that took the whole country backward in its happiness index. The situation is almost similar now where corruption and poverty in our State have hit the national index,” said Mr. Thomas. He alleged that the waterway between Mangaluru and Vizhinjam waterway project was dropped as there was no scope for any corruption.
Describing resistance to corruption as the basic requirement for development, Mr. Thomas said the concept of real development could be materialised only by ensuring all essential products and services for the poor at their arm’s reach. He also claimed that the distribution of paddy procurement subsidy for farmers was delayed because of corruption.
State vice president of Bharatheeya Vichara Kendram K.P. Somarajan presided over the memorial meet. State president C.V. Jayamani delivered Dr. K. Madhavankutty memorial lecture. Sevabharathi’s Kozhikode district functionaries were also present.
Dr. Madhavankutty was a freedom fighter and former director of Bharatheeya Vichara Kendram.
After completing medical education from the Stanley Medical College in Chennai, he joined as tutor in the same college. He was appointed as professor when the Kozhikode Medical College was established in 1957. Later, he became the principal of Kozhikode, Thrissur and Thiruvananthapuram medical colleges. He was also the chairman of Bharathiya Vidya Bhavan, Kozhikode.
He had contested the Lok Sabha elections in 1984 from Kozhikode with BJP support. Again, he fought the Assembly elections in 1991 from Beypore as an Independent supported by both the BJP and the UDF. The strange political alliance is a point of debate in political circles even now.
