Food and Civil Supplies Minister T.M. Jacob, who died late on Monday night, will be remembered for his contribution to legislative procedures and practices and as an administrator. Jacob had left a mark on all the ministerial portfolios he had handled.
He displayed exceptional skills in political survival by wading through Kerala Congress politics. The numerous Kerala Congress splits could not keep down this politician, who with his indomitable spirit carved out a niche for himself and his outfit, the Kerala Congress (Jacob), in the State's coalition politics.
Except for an interlude from 2004 to 2008, Jacob had been on the Congress side of coalition politics in the State, hitching his wagon to the United Democratic Front. The brief interlude started with a loss of status and berth in the Oommen Chandy Ministry that succeeded the Antony Ministry in 2004. What followed was a period of political indecisiveness that found Jacob pitching his political tent with the Democratic Indira Congress (Karunakaran), led by the former Chief Minister K. Karunakaran.
As it turned out, this entanglement with the Congress split ended up as a losing proposition for Jacob. The instinctive politician chose to revive the Kerala Congress (Jacob), but had to be satisfied with a loss of status and political bargaining power.
For a politician who had made his legislative debut in 1977, Jacob had come a long way by managing to retain political currency, though it was with a slender electoral victory from the Piravom constituency in 2011.
Jacob, born on September 16, 1950 as the son of T.S. Mathew and Annama, entered politics via the student movement. He had been associated with the Kerala Congress since its inception. He had been the general secretary and president of the Kerala Students Congress, the student wing of the Kerala Congress, from 1971 to 1975.
Jacob made his electoral debut in 1977 as the youngest member of the Assembly. He followed up his electoral successes by winning from Kothamangalam in 1982 and 1987. When the Kerala Congress split in the 1980s, Mr. Jacob chose to stick with the faction led by P.J. Joseph. He continued this association till 1989, when Mr. Joseph chose to take his party out of the UDF following a controversy over his contest in the parliamentary elections.
Mr. Jacob teamed up with K.M. Mani to form a formidable force in the 1991 Assembly elections. In 1993, Jacob parted ways with Mani to form his own party. He won the Piravom seat in 1991, 1996, and 2001.
As a Minister, Mr. Jacob will be remembered for two major events — the setting up of the Pre-Degree Board and formation of Mahatma Gandhi University. Though the Pre-Degree Board proposal was abandoned owing to political unrest, the State had to implement the Plus Two scheme years later. As Irrigation Minister, Jacob will be known for the several drinking water schemes he launched. He will be remembered for bringing up the Mullaperiyar agreement for a public debate with a contention for renewing it.
After assuming charge as Food and Civil Supplies Minister when the UDF came to power in May, Mr. Jacob, setting aside health problems, came up with a credible scheme to deliver the United Democratic Front's election promise of providing rice at the rate of Re.1 a kg to those below the poverty line.
Jacob's knowledge of legislative practice and procedures was legion. There is hardly any Assembly debate that did not have Jacob's contribution. There were several occasions when Ministers piloting Bills were forced to concede their drafting errors. He was always the reference point for those who were short of information about legislative events, procedures, rules, and business practices.
