Mani scoffs at Isaacs decision to release book

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Finance Minister K M Mani, even while welcoming the decision of T M Thomas Isaac to come out with a book to counter his ‘white paper’, has said that the very fact that his predecessor was forced to write a book  showed that even Isaac knew that his ‘alternative white paper’ was not in the least convincing."Though desperate, Isaac’s attempt to bring out a detailed book about the manner in which he was managing the state finances and its impact on the development of the state is welcome,’’ Mani told ‘Express’ on Sunday. ‘Express’ on July 24 reported that former Finance Minister Thomas Isaac would publish a 120-page layman-friendly book, ‘Kallam, Perumkallam, pinne, Kunju Maniyude Kanakkukalum’ (Lies, Damned Lies and Little Mani’s Statistics), to meticulously counter Mani’s ‘White Paper on state’s finances’.The Finance Minister took a dig at his predecessor’s penchant for using books as a political tool. ‘’I am sure that just like his efforts to counter the lottery scam, media criticism and Centre’s perceived overbearing attitude through books had met with a cold response from the public, this proposed book too will be the laughing stock of the academia and the general public,’’ Mani said.According to Mani, the theories relied upon by Isaac are ‘’obsolete, one-sided and partisan in the context of the fast-changing world’’. ‘’It may be noted that the ideology of Isaac had been suffering setbacks the world over. They ignore realities and lives in the utopia of communes,’’ Mani said. The Finance Minister said that it was well known that it was Isaac’s party that had contributed to the economic and industrial backwardness of the state. The Finance Minister said that the CPM had often expressed regret over the position they took against private capital, foreign capital, international financial flows, mechanisation of agriculture and computerisation. ‘’Given their antecedents, the people of the state cannot expect much from Dr Isaac except the repetition of convoluted theoretical arguments devoid of an understanding of the ground realities,’’ Mani said.