By IANS
Thiruvananthapuram : Defence Minister A.K. Antony Friday received Asianet television’s ‘Malayali 2007’ award here and while addressing the audience, he asked Malayalis to change their mindset if they wanted Kerala to progress and prosper.
“If one looks into the success stories of people in every nook and corner of the world, there would certainly be a Malayali who has emerged victorious. But the sad thing is that Malayalis in Kerala are not successful enough due to their mindset, which is contrary to the mindset of a Malayali settled outside Kerala. This is the bane of Kerala,” Antony said after receiving the award by the Malayalam channel.
“The need of the hour is that we have to find a doctor who can suggest a remedy to change people’s mindsets, which is pulling Kerala back in all fields,” the former Kerala chief minister said.
“The political leadership, cutting across political parties, has a role in this because we don’t know when to start a debate and when to end it. Due to this, when we take one step forward, we take two steps backwards. If this mindset is changed, Kerala will have nothing to look back,” said Antony.
Asianet TV nominated Antony as one of the 10 top Malayalis and he won the top slot after 24 percent of viewers voted for him.
Malayalam actor Prithviraj came in second place.
Antony received the award from Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan, who had bagged the honour last year.