THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: CPI state secretary Kanam Rajendran on Thursday drew parallel, though obliquely, between Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s stand on Mahija agitation to the position taken by capitalists during workers’ strike in yesteryear. Replying to a question at a press conference held after CPI executive meeting, Mr Kanam reminded that after every agitation the capitalists used to ask the workers; What did you achieve from the strike? The Chief Minister had put a similar query to Mahija after she called off her hunger fast. When asked whether Pinarayi was being driven by Capitalist mindset, Kanam said; “I will never make such a comment on my chief minister,” he said.
Mr Kanam said the police action in front of DGP headquarters was not in line with LDF policy. On E.P. Jayarajan’s criticism, the CPI leader said he was not the person to respond to him. “They have made big contributions to LDF. Anyway by using the term “Melavi” he has contributed a new word to Malayalam,” he said. Mr Kanam reacted in a similar fashion against power minister M.M. Mani and said it was for the Chief Minister to rein him in for making statements against government policy. CPI and CPM are not on different page on Munnar issue, he added.
When asked about choice of Raman Sreevastava as adviser, Mr Kanam said his name immediately brought to mind the names of Karunakaran and Sirajunissa. However, he added that the CM had the freedom to pick his advisers. The CPI leader played down the Chief Minister’s remark that he had not played any role in resolving Mahija’s agitation. “I never claimed credit. I had spoken to Kodiyeri and CM’s private secretary M.V. Jayarajan. My intervention was at the political level,” he added.
He said the CPI would evaluate the functioning of the government after the completion of one year in office. He hit out at Mr Jayarajan and other CPM leaders who kept reminding about the past alliance with Congress. “Who voted for Pranab Mukherjee? Did we? Who was the Speaker during UPA government? Was it our leader or Somnath Chatterjee? The CPI reiterated that Athirapally project was not in LDF manifesto, hence there is no need to clarify party’s stand on the issue .
