P. J. Joseph

P. J. Joseph is an Indian politician, the leader of the Kerala Congress party in Kerala, and an MLA, representing the Thodupuzha assembly constituency. Since 1990 his party had been part of the Left Democratic Front (LDF) as an alliance. He has also held various ministerial positions with the Government of Kerala on several occasions. On 30 April 2010, P. J. Joseph resigned from the LDF government and declared his party's merger with K. M. Mani's Kerala Congress (M).

Early life

He is married to Santha, a gynecologist, and has four children. 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 was inaugurated by former President of India, Dr. A P J Abdul Kalam, and got special appreciation.

Contributions

He has developed organic farming in the state, as well as improving the primary and higher secondary education, waste management, integrated development in IT industry, road laying and maintenance works, rail network and sustainable growth for rural farmers.

He instituted the Gandhiji 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.^[1][2]

Controversy

P.J Joseph resigned from the Kerala Cabinet on 4 November 2006 as he was accused of misbehaviour with a lady co-passenger on a Kingfisher flight.

Following the allegation, the State Police Department had investigated, and in the previous month, the Deputy Inspector General of police B. Sandhya had filed a report on the allegations.

He resigned saying he would not like to continue even under a shadow of suspicion. He attributed the allegation to a 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.

Chev. Dr. 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.^[3]

On May 11, 2009, Chennai Sriperambathur District Magistrate Court has exonerated P J Joseph.The Chennai Sriperambathur District Magistrate Court on Monday acquitted Kerala Congress (J) leader and former PWD minister P J Joseph, from the case. Acquitting the Joseph, Judicial Magistrate at Sriperumpudur N Krishnaswami said the case is being dismissed as it lacks proper basis, witnesses and evidence. Reacting to the verdict, Joseph, who was present in court along with family members and party leaders, thanked God and said that the 'truth has finally come out.' P.J. Jospeph's supporters took out a rally shouting slogans in favour of their leader in his hometown in Thodupuzha as soon as the news of the acquittal came.

References

Further reading

• The Hindu, More time given to complete probe
• 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