Kerala CM Vijayan upset over low turnout at event, likely to take action against state party leadership

Kozhikode, April 12 (IANS) Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, on Saturday, made his ire publicly while attending the inauguration of the second phase of the district hospital at Badagara, when he saw empty chairs in front of him.

Incidentally, Badagara town is considered a stronghold of the CPI-M.

It was a meeting which saw on the dais, the presence of Union Minister of State for Fisheries George Kurian, State Health Minister Veena George, besides his son-in-law -- State Tourism Minister P.A. Mohammed Riyas and numerous other local leaders, but unlike his meetings, this time there were numerous empty chairs.

Things did not go well right from the time the Kerala CM was getting ready to leave from the state-run Guest House in Badagara as the function was to start at 11 a.m.

Even though one who keeps perfect timings when he attends meeting, just before he was to leave from the Guest House, the word came there are more empty chairs than people in the hall.

Following that the Chief Minister arrived 35 minutes late and even then things did not change as there were numerous vacant chairs waiting for people to occupy it.

Not one to make his displeasure public, the Chief Minister took potshots signalling that he is not happy with the local CPI-M party workers and leaders who normally make sure that every time Vijayan attends a public meeting, there should be no empty chairs.

"Yes, today is a hot day and the organisers have ensured the function takes place in a big space and made sure to see that they have placed the chairs with lot of spaces between two chairs," said Vijayan.

Seeing the local MP and MLA absent (both of them are from the Opposition Congress-led UDF), Vijayan did not spare them either and expressed his displeasure by saying, "due to reasons for maintaining decorum, I wish not to speak about it."

Later the real reason surfaced on the poor turnout and it was the local CPI-M party workers in and around Badagara are upset with the state leadership of the party as one of its stalwart local leader Divakaran was sidelined from the Kozhikode district CPI-M committee, when a new set of office bearers was named recently.

When this happened, following an outburst in the otherwise disciplined CPI-M, the state leadership had informed that as soon as the CPI-M state conference concludes, he will be reinstated.

But nothing happened and with the 24th Party Congress also ending early this month at Madurai, the local party workers decided to act and as a result, the decision came to keep away from Vijayan's meeting.

Meanwhile, the state leadership which does not tolerate indiscipline, especially when its foremost leader Vijayan became the target, a few heads in the Badagara unit of the CPI-M and at Kozhikode are likely to roll.

What has hurt both Vijayan and the state CPI-M leadership the most is that this indiscipline came at a time when the Chief Minister is having a torrid time with a few national agencies on the prowl against his daughter Veena Vijayan and a local court in Kochi has already registered a case against her and her now defunct IT company.

--IANS

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