Thiruvananthapuram: Labour Minister and Revolutionary Socialist Party (Baby John) leader Shibu Baby John has run into trouble over his recent meeting with Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, with leaders of the Congress and its United Democratic Front (UDF) allies taking exception to it, holding the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader's development model is unacceptable to Kerala. With the issue becoming controversial, Chief Minister Oommen Chandy on Saturday sought an explanation from John, though the latter held that he had only spoken on issues concerning skill development and training during his meeting with Modi.
"I have sought a clarification from John. But I would like to make it clear that the Gujarat model of development is not at all acceptable to Kerala," Chandy said. Joining the issue, CPI(M) veteran and Opposition Leader VS Achuthanandan said it was difficult to believe that John had met Modi without Chandy's knowledge.
Sources close to Achuthanandan also said the CPI(M) leader might stay away from a function next week at Sree Narayana Mutt at nearby Varkala, where Modi is chief guest. Though initially he sought to play down the row holding that the meeting had no political dimension, John later said he should have avoided it.
"I only sought to know Gujarat's model in skill development and training when I met Modi. This is part of my department. I first met the Labour Minister there (in Ahmedabad) and he suggested I meet Modi also, saying he has been in overall charge
03:46 PM, Apr 20, 2013
Dubai: Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy has met Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum in Dubai and discussed ways of boosting bilateral trade and economic cooperation. The Vice-President met Chandy on Thursday at the headquarters of Dubai Executive Council at Emirates Towers. Shaikh Mohammed hailed the historic relations between the people of the two friendly countries, highlighting the role the Indian community and...
01:43 AM, Apr 13, 2013
The Kerala Assembly was rocked for the second day on Wednesday over issues relating to former minister KN Ganesh Kumar with opposition LDF demanding that Chief Minister Oommen Chandy quit for allegedly shielding him in his wife's domestic violence complaint. Chandy on his part rejected the charge that he had sought to shield Kumar by declining to act on his estranged wife's complaint, saying this was totally untrue. ...
05:54 PM, Apr 03, 2013
The wife of the former Forest Minister of Kerala KB Ganesh Kumar has said that she was not only abused by her husband, but also feels cheated by Chief Minister Oomen Chandy, who was shielding him. Though the former minister has denied the allegations and has said it a political conspiracy. ...
03:40 PM, Apr 03, 2013
Kerala Chief Minister Oomen Chandy has written to the Prime Minister asking for the setting up of a special fast track court in Kollam to try the two Italian marines who are charged with the murder of two Kerala fishermen. ...
09:34 AM, Mar 24, 2013
Dharmarajan, the absconding convict in the Suryanelli gangrape case who was arrested from Karnataka, was sent to the sub-jail here by the District and Sessions Judge before whom he was produced on Saturday. The third accused in the 17-year-old case, Dharmarajan was arrested Friday by a special team of Kerala Police, three days after his interview to a Malayalam TV channel from an undisclosed location, wherein he alleged that Rajya...
01:45 PM, Feb 16, 2013
Kerala Chief Minister Oomen Chandy on Friday ruled out re-investigation in the Suryanelli gangrape case. The state government had on Wednesday received legal opinions that there was no need to re-investigate the case as the victim was repeating the charge she had earlier raised and there was nothing in her new revelation. ...
05:59 PM, Feb 15, 2013
Amid growing clamour for resignation of Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman PJ Kurien in the Suryanelli gangrape case, his wife has rubbished the allegations against him and said those hurling "malicious charges" never bothered to appreciate sentiments of her family. ...
12:17 PM, Feb 13, 2013
UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi is unlikely to meet Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairperson PJ Kurien as the demand for his resignation grows following allegations of his involvement in the 1996 Suryanelli gangrape case. However, sources said that Congress leadership has questioned the timing of the fresh charges against Kurien. ...
03:42 PM, Feb 08, 2013
Calls for the resignation of Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairperson PJ Kurien are increasing. The Opposition in Kerala, where Kurien hails from, has held demonstrations outside the state assembly asking for his resignation. ...
02:27 PM, Feb 06, 2013
Kerala government on Saturday said it would seek legal opinion on whether a fresh investigation should be conducted into the allegations against Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman PJ Kurien, in the wake of the woman in the Suryanelli case persisting with her charge of being gangraped. ...
10:34 PM, Feb 03, 2013
Sixteen years have passed but the Suryanelli rape case continues to shadow PJ Kurien, the deputy speaker of the Rajya Sabha. Troubles resurfaced for the Kerala Congressman after the rape survivor sent a letter to the Supreme Court last week, asking for a review of the apex court's order quashing all charges against Kurien. ...
08:31 AM, Feb 03, 2013
Kerala Chief Minister Oomen Chandy on Saturday openly backed Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman PJ Kurien, an accused in the horrific Suryanelli rape case, saying that he was being dragged into it. "This is an attempt to make a controversy out of an issue that happened 17 years ago. It is extremely unfortunate that PJ Kurien is being dragged into this," said Chandy. ...
07:14 PM, Feb 02, 2013
Abdul Nasser Madani, an accused in the 2008 Bangalore blast, is currently at a Bangalore jail facing trial. But his deteriorating health is becoming a political issue with his family claiming the state is denying him treatment, prompting the Kerela Chief Minister to fly to Karnataka to meet his counterpart. ...
06:51 AM, Jan 03, 2013
Thiruvananthapuram: Thousands of CPI(M) workers in Kerala on Wednesday laid siege to the government secretariat during a protest that forced Chief Minister Oommen Chandy to reach his office around 5 AM, hours before a Cabinet meeting. In an unusual spectacle at dawn in a state that is too used to bandhs and protests, Chandy and four ministers had to turn up at their offices an hour before the CPI(M) siege...
02:42 PM, Aug 22, 2012
Kasargod: Chief Minister Oommen Chandy on Saturday said that the government would introduce a Bill on Right to Services soon for the timely delivery of the services provided at various government offices. He was speaking at the state-level inauguration of the Saankhya Software developed by the Information Kerala Mission (IKM) here on Kumbla panchayat compound. "Though we have advanced in every sector, the common man still has to knock the...
12:35 PM, Jul 22, 2012
Thiruvananthapuram: In a setback to the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) government in Kerala, the Supreme Court on Thursday ordered it to continue monitoring the infamous ice cream parlour sex case that involved top political leaders within the coalition. The apex court's directive came after former Kerala CM and Left leader VS Achuthanandan approached it asking that the Kerala HC keep at the case since it involved high-profile politicians. In...
01:22 PM, Jul 05, 2012
Kochi: The Kerala High Court on Thursday dismissed a petition by controversial Marxist leader MM Mani, seeking to quash FIRs registered against him over his speech on elimination of political foes, saying if such tendencies are not checked, it would sound the "death knell" of democracy. Dismissing the petition, Justice S Satishchandran said the speech and the revelations prima facie discloses commission of cognisable offence, which fully justifies registration of...
02:10 PM, Jun 28, 2012
Idukki (Kerala): A day after he was removed as CPI(M)'s Idukki district Secretary for his controversial speech, MM Mani on Thursday said he had expected the disciplinary action as he had committed a "mistake". Mani, however, alleged some local Congress leaders and a section of the media had colluded and "blown his speech out of proportion" and cast him and the party in poor light. Faced with a huge embarrassment...
02:40 PM, Jun 07, 2012
Kochi: Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy on Sunday said that a case will be made against CPI(M) leader MM Mani for his speech that his party has committed murders to finish off their political opponents. "All who heard the speech will not spare our government if we do not proceed against him because he made it very clear the way his party had killed their political opponents. When a leader...
02:15 PM, Jun 03, 2012
