"I saw how shrewd Antony was - he did not oblige me by taking the gift, but did not disappoint me either," Thomas narrates.

Another incident shows how Antony is a stickler for rules. After finishing his work during a Delhi visit, Thomas asked the protocol officer at Kerala House to book a return ticket to Kochi.

The protocol officer said since Antony would leave for Kochi the next day on a special aircraft, Thomas could go along with him and save Rs.8,000.

"See, don't you know how strict Antony is about following rules? Why ask him and be embarrassed?" Thomas asked the protocol officer. However, the officer insisted.

"I spoke to Prathapan and he connected me to Antony. He asked me why I had not gone back. I said, 'I heard that you were going to Kochi on a special flight tomorrow.' A polite Antony asked, 'Don't you know the rules? This is a special aircraft. Moreover, you have been in Delhi for a long time, don't you know no one else can be taken?"

Thomas, who represented the Ernakulam Lok Sabha constituency from 1984 to 1996, has been a member of the Kerala assembly since 2001.