Pinarayi Vijayan soft-pedals on PM Modi

Kozhikode: Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Thursday praised the union government for its positive attitude towards the state’s development.   Speaking at a function organised by the  Kozhikode Municipal Corporation  to felicitate him, he also pulled up the CPM-led council for  not completing the projects on time. While the BJP members welcomed him by draping a shawl around  him, the UDF boycotted the function in protest against the government’s stand towards the UDF agitation over the  fee issue in the self-financing medical colleges.

In fact, the UDF council leadership was not in favour of  the boycott plan. “We actually wanted to participate in the programme. However,  this morning, we received a message from Thiruvananthapuram to boycott it in the middle of the event. We were not in favour of that since it would have been  an insult to the CM and that’s why we decided not to attend the programme at all,” said a senior Congress leader in the council.

The BJP got an unexpected boost when the CM praised the Union government. By participating in the programme and felicitating  him, they also gave a fitting reply to the  CPM leaders  in the council who did not  try to meet  Prime Minister Narendra Modi or other Union ministers who were present in the city during the BJP national council meeting last month.