Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Saturday said outgoing Chief Secretary Tom Jose contrasted with “certain other bureaucrats who viewed the elected political executive as a hindrance to governance.”
Speaking at his send-off function here, Mr. Vijayan said Mr. Jose had worked competently within the bounds prescribed by the Constitution. He had implemented the policies of the elected government without dilution. Mr. Jose did not work in privileged seclusion, far removed from the people. He was in lockstep with the government and sensed the aspirations of the public he served, Mr. Vijayan said.
Adversities had always dogged Mr. Jose’s official life. He had cut his professional teeth assisting the Centre to manage the national emergency after terrorists hijacked Indian Airlines Flight 814 to Kandahar in Afghanistan in 1999.
In Kerala, Mr. Jose was involved in the fight against the Nipah virus outbreak and the floods in 2018 and 2019. He was the moving force behind the Kochi metro, the Chief Minister said.
Mr. Vijayan said the government was bidding Mr. Jose farewell with extreme reluctance. It hoped to turn to him for counsel and would use his expertise as required.
Acceptance speech
In a personal note sent to his colleagues, Mr. Jose said he was still the ‘starry-eyed’ village boy from Pala at heart. He started his Civil Services career as Subcollector, Thrissur. Life had taken him on strange paths, but they all seemed to lead home.
In his acceptance speech, Mr. Jose quoted Nelson Mandela: “Remember me for my mistakes and how I recovered from them,” he said. Incoming Chief Secretary Vishwas Mehta and the entire Cabinet attended the function.
