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P. J. Joseph
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| P J Joseph | |
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| Constituency | Thodupuzha |
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| Political party | Kerala Congress (J) |
| Spouse | Dr. Santha |
| Children | One son and one daughter |
| Residence | Thodupuzha, Kerala |
| Religion | Roman Catholic |
P J Joseph is the head of the Kerala Congress (J) party, a political party based in Kerala, India. He was elected as a MLA from Thodupuzha assembly constituency for the eighth time. He was sworn in as the Minister for Public Works. Since 1990 his party has been part of the Left Democratic Front (LDF), an alliance of parties leaning towards the left. He has held ministerial positions in the Government of Kerala on several occasions serving as Minister of Education, Public Works Department, Housing, Home affairs, Registration and Revenue.
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He is married to Dr. Santha, a gynecologist. He is a postgraduate in Economics from Loyola college Madras, and a landlord himself, promotes agriculture using organic methods and progressive concepts in the state. His own farms have been organically cultivated since the early eighties. He was first elected to the Kerala Legislative Assembly in 1970. He organizes the annual Agricultural festival in Thodupuzha since 1989. The fest of 2005 inaugurated by former President of India, Dr. A P J Abdul Kalam, and got special appreciation. It draws huge onlookers not only during the, but also during the seminars, variety of entertainment programs, providing relaxation and enthralling moments for the otherwise toiling farmer folk.
He is a visionary par excellence devising innovative technique for the comprehensive development of Kerala. He was the pioneer in propagating organic farming in the state, revamping the primary and higher secondary education in Kerala, waste management for a clean Kerala, integrated development in IT Industry, revolutionary road laying and maintenance works, rail network and sustainable growth for rural farmers. One of the crucial advantages that emerged from the introduction of his controversial education policies was the steep rise in the pass percentage of the SSLC students from 70.06 to 82.29 per cent. [1]
He successfully instituted the Gandhi Studies Center and the Gandhi Center for Sustainable Development. The former is a registered non governmental organization committed to the development and empowerment of the marginalized section including farmers, unemployed, women, and children from the backward communities etc., irrespective of their caste, creed and political affiliations. The latter concentrates on training and research for Agriculture, Animal Husbandry and Rural Development. [2] [3]
P.J Joseph resigned from the Kerala Cabinet on 4 November 2006 as he was accused of misbehaved with a lady co-passenger in a Kingfisher flight. The lady's husband had complained that Joseph grabbed his wife from behind once the cabin lights were switched off during the flight's take off from Chennai International Airport on 3 August 2006. The flight was enroute to Cochin International Airport. Earlier the accusation was inquired by the State Police Department. In September 2006, Kerela Deputy Inspector General B. Sandhya filed a report on the allegations. He was then asked to resign by V S Achuthanandan, the Chief Minister of Kerala based on the report. [4]
He resigned saying he would not like to continue, even under a shadow of suspicion. He attributed the allegation to political vendetta by his detractors in the opposition MLA groups, who had been expelled from his party and persons "who had tried to criticize" him in connection with alleged irregularities in the implementation of a Housing Scheme for registrations called “Maitri” by his ministerial term during 1996-2001. [5] [6]
He was also accused of possessing acres of land illegally. The Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau has been ordered to conduct a preliminary inquiry into the allegation. [7]
T U Kuruvilla, a MLA of his party sworn in as the minister in place of Joseph. Later Kuruvilla also resigned following a series of allegations of irregularities in a land deal involving his family. Consequently the party, nominated Monce Joseph as its new ministerial candidate in place of T U Kuruvilla and the former had sworn in. [8]
Despite being out of power, P J Joseph spends his time developing and implementing new schemes for the overall development of the state. The latest being the campaign for the High Speed Rail Corridor between Kanyakumari and Goa. Laloo Prasad Yadav, the Indian Railway Minister, has agreed to conduct a survey and study for this prestigious project. P J Joseph is the only politician in Kerala, who has realised the immediate need for such a railway. This line can reduce the travel time drastically, bringing more tourists to the state. [9]
- ^ All-time record pass in SSLC exam in Kerala. The Hindu Online.
- ^ 'Adopt organic farming methods'. The Hindu Online.
- ^ Declare Kerala an organic farming State: Joseph. The Hindu Online.
- ^ Sexual harassment on flight: minister accused. Express India.
- ^ Probe sought into `funds diversion' in Maitri scheme. The Hindu Online.
- ^ Probe sought into allegation against Joseph. The Hindu Online.
- ^ Joseph’s land: probe ordered. The Hindu Online.
- ^ Joseph steps down; Kuruvilla named new Kerala Congress(J) Minister. The Hindu Online.
- ^ Rubberised Bitumen Roads. The Hindu Online.
- Mathrubhumi, The minister of scandals
- The Hindu, More time given to complete probe
- The Hindu, Joseph steps down; Kuruvilla named new Kerala Congress(J) Minister
- IndiaNews, Judicial probe against former Kerala minister
- The Hindu Online, LDF rejects charges against Joseph
- The Hindu Businessline, Draft policy on organic farming in Kerala to be ready soon
- Ashanet, An educative experiment
- OneIndia, PJ Joseph in thatsmalayalam.com
- Gandhiji Study Centre