Pinarayi Vijayan disappoints cultural capital

Thrissur: It was a perfect start to that the State Youth Festival as over 1,200 artistes gave a visual treat to the hundreds of people who gathered for the inauguration through the Drisyavismayam at the Thekkinkadu Maidan. Most people agreed that the 'vismayam' was a perfect alternative to the 'ghoshayatra' staged in the earlier editions.

But the Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan made it sour by not turning up to inaugurate the event as announced and scheduled earlier. This dramatic turn disappointed the people of Thrissur, parents, teachers and students alike who never thought that the Chief Minister would skip one of the grand cultural spectacles in Asia for some other events. The Chief Minister instead attended the CPM district committee conference at Kollam and another state government function.

It was a disappointment for agriculture minister V.S. Sunil Kumar and education minister C Raveendranath who hail from Thrissur and have been toiling for days together to make the event a grand success. But they tried to conceal it at the inaugural event.

The ministers' attempt to convince the audience about the absence of the CM went in vain. They informed the audience that the CM had to attend an 'official function' because of which he missed the youth festival inauguration. 

This left some wondering whether youth festival in which thousands of students participate, is not an official function for the state government and its chief minister. "If he was indisposed then we can understand but this excuse is close to an insult to the cultural sphere," said a parent.

School fest convention demands the Chief Minister inaugurating it and the Opposition leader ringing down the curtains, at the valedictory.

Sources said Mr Vijayan had conveyed to Mr Raveendranath late on Friday night his inconvenience. 

"But we were hopeful Pinarayi would inaugurate the youth fest on Saturday. Unfortunately he went to the delegate session of CPM district meeting at Kollam. CM should have attended the meeting as that was the norm, and his presence would have brought cheer to thousands of students, parents and teachers at the annual jamboree," sources said.

The ABVP staged a protest against the absence of the Chief Minister outside the venue of the festival which was inaugurated by BJP leader B. Gopalakrishnan. He said that the Chief Minister has belittled the whole state by dumping an important cultural event for the party meeting. "He should apologise to the people of the state for what he has done," Mr Gopalakrishnan said.

Mr Vijayan has been inclined to give such occasions a miss. He had stayed away from programmes organised by Sivagiri Mutt thrice aftr becoming the chief minister.

There was politics in it, but many wonder whether there was politics behind the CM's non-show at the school fest.