P. J. Joseph
Encyclopedia
P. J. Joseph is an India
n politician, the leader of the Kerala Congress
party in Kerala
, and an MLA
, representing the Thodupuzha
assembly constituency. Since 1990 his party has 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)
.
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. Official website of P J Joseph is: www.pjjoseph.in
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.
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
.
.
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.
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.
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n politician, the leader of the Kerala Congress
Kerala Congress
The Kerala Congress is a recognized State political party in Kerala, India. The party was founded by K. M. George in October 1964 after a group of legislators decided to break from the Indian National Congress...
party in Kerala
Kerala
or Keralam is an Indian state located on the Malabar coast of south-west India. It was created on 1 November 1956 by the States Reorganisation Act by combining various Malayalam speaking regions....
, and an MLA
Member of the Legislative Assembly
A Member of the Legislative Assembly or a Member of the Legislature , is a representative elected by the voters of a constituency to the legislature or legislative assembly of a sub-national jurisdiction....
, representing the Thodupuzha
Thodupuzha
Thodupuzha is a town and a municipality in Idukki district in the Indian state of Kerala, spread over an area of 35.43 km2. It is 62 km from Ernakulam. Geographical Classification of Thodupuzha Region is Midland or Idanad....
assembly constituency. Since 1990 his party has been part of the Left Democratic Front (LDF) as an alliance. He has also held various ministerial positions with the Government of Kerala
Government of Kerala
The Government of Kerala is a democratically elected body that governs the State of Kerala, India for a period of 5 years. The state government is headed by the Governor of Kerala as the nominal head of state, with a democratically elected Chief Minister as real head of the executive. The state...
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
K. M. Mani
Karingozhakkal Mani Mani is a veteran Indian politician and the leader of Kerala Congress , one of the factions of the Kerala Congress. He holds the records of having presented the maximum number of eight budgets in the Kerala Legislative Assembly as Finance Minister and also as the...
's Kerala Congress (M)
Kerala Congress (M)
Kerala Congress is a recognised state level Indian political party in Kerala. It was formed in 1979, through a split from the Kerala Congress. Its leader is K. M. Mani, a former minister of the Government of Kerala. Its chairman was C. F. Thomas...
.
Early life
He is married to Santha, a gynecologist, and has four children. He is a postgraduate in EconomicsEconomics
Economics is the social science that analyzes the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. The term economics comes from the Ancient Greek from + , hence "rules of the house"...
from Loyola college Madras
Loyola College, Chennai
Loyola College is a Jesuit institution in Chennai, India. The college admits undergraduates and post-graduates and offers degrees in the liberal arts, sciences and commerce. It is an autonomous institution affiliated with the University of Madras.-History:...
, and a landlord
Landlord
A landlord is the owner of a house, apartment, condominium, or real estate which is rented or leased to an individual or business, who is called a tenant . When a juristic person is in this position, the term landlord is used. Other terms include lessor and owner...
himself, promotes agriculture
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
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
Legislative Assembly
Legislative Assembly is the name given in some countries to either a legislature, or to one of its branch.The name is used by a number of member-states of the Commonwealth of Nations, as well as a number of Latin American countries....
in 1970. He organizes the annual Agricultural festival in Thodupuzha
Thodupuzha
Thodupuzha is a town and a municipality in Idukki district in the Indian state of Kerala, spread over an area of 35.43 km2. It is 62 km from Ernakulam. Geographical Classification of Thodupuzha Region is Midland or Idanad....
since 1989. The fest of 2005 was inaugurated by former President of India
President of India
The President of India is the head of state and first citizen of India, as well as the Supreme Commander of the Indian Armed Forces. President of India is also the formal head of all the three branches of Indian Democracy - Legislature, Executive and Judiciary...
, Dr. A P J Abdul Kalam, and got special appreciation. Official website of P J Joseph is: www.pjjoseph.in
Contributions
He is a visionary par excellence devising innovative technique for the comprehensive development of Kerala. He was the pioneer in propagating organic farmingOrganic farming
Organic farming is the form of agriculture that relies on techniques such as crop rotation, green manure, compost and biological pest control to maintain soil productivity and control pests on a farm...
in the state, revamping the primary and higher secondary education in Kerala, waste management
Waste management
Waste management is the collection, transport, processing or disposal,managing and monitoring of waste materials. The term usually relates to materials produced by human activity, and the process is generally undertaken to reduce their effect on health, the environment or aesthetics...
for a clean Kerala, integrated development in IT
Information technology
Information technology is the acquisition, processing, storage and dissemination of vocal, pictorial, textual and numerical information by a microelectronics-based combination of computing and telecommunications...
Industry, revolutionary road laying and maintenance works, rail network
Rail tracks
The track on a railway or railroad, also known as the permanent way, is the structure consisting of the rails, fasteners, sleepers and ballast , plus the underlying subgrade...
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
SSLC
The Secondary School Leaving Certificate is a certification obtained by a student on successful completion of an examination at the end of study at the secondary schooling level in India.- Relevance of the SSLC :...
students from 70.06 to 82.29 per cent.
He successfully instituted the Gandhi Studies Center and the Gandhi Center for Sustainable Development
Sustainable development
Sustainable development is a pattern of resource use, that aims to meet human needs while preserving the environment so that these needs can be met not only in the present, but also for generations to come...
. 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
Other Backward Class
The Central Government of India classifies some of its citizens based on their social and economic condition as Scheduled Caste , Scheduled Tribe , and Other Backward Class . The OBC list presented by the commission is dynamic and will change from time to time depending on social, educational and...
etc., irrespective of their caste, creed and political affiliations. The latter concentrates on training and research for Agriculture
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
, Animal Husbandry
Animal husbandry
Animal husbandry is the agricultural practice of breeding and raising livestock.- History :Animal husbandry has been practiced for thousands of years, since the first domestication of animals....
and Rural Development
Rural Development
USDA Office of Rural Development is an agency with the United States Department of Agriculture which runs programs intended to improve the economy and quality of life in rural America....
.
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 flightKingfisher Airlines
Kingfisher Airlines is an airline group based in India. Its head office is Kingfisher House in Vile Parle , Mumbai. Kingfisher Airlines, through its parent company United Breweries Group, has a 50% stake in low-cost carrier Kingfisher Red....
.
Following the allegation, the State Police
Kerala Police
The Kerala State Police is the law enforcement agency for the state of Kerala, India. Kerala Police has its headquarters in Thiruvananthapuram, the state capital. The Police training college was set up by Travancore Maharaja in Thiruvananthapuram in mid 20th centuary. In 2004,a larger Kerala...
Department had investigated, and in the previous month
September 2006
September 2006 was marked by a controversy surrounding statements made by Pope Benedict XVI regarding Islam, during the same week as the fifth anniversary of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Steve Irwin, star of The Crocodile Hunter, died early in the month due to a stingray attack...
, the Deputy Inspector General of police B. Sandhya
B. Sandhya
B. Sandhya is the Inspector General of Kerala Police in India. She is also a painter, writer and author of few published books.The International Association of Women Police , based in USA recently awarded Sandhya Bharatdas an award and scholarship of distinction. This award was given in addition...
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
Feud
A feud , referred to in more extreme cases as a blood feud, vendetta, faida, or private war, is a long-running argument or fight between parties—often groups of people, especially families or clans. Feuds begin because one party perceives itself to have been attacked, insulted or wronged by another...
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
Member of the Legislative Assembly
A Member of the Legislative Assembly or a Member of the Legislature , is a representative elected by the voters of a constituency to the legislature or legislative assembly of a sub-national jurisdiction....
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
Monce Joseph
Monce Joseph, is an Indian politician, MLA and advocate, was the youngest minister in Kerala's present Left Democratic Front ministry in India. He belongs to Kerala Congress party led by P. J. Joseph, and represents Kaduthuruthy legislative Assembly of Kerala. He had been the Minister for Public...
as its new ministerial candidate in place of T U Kuruvilla and the former had sworn in.
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.
Further reading
- The Hindu, More time given to complete probe
- The Hindu, Joseph steps down; Kuruvilla named new Kerala Congress(J) 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
- Gandhiji Study Centre