Battle in Kerala
With all 20 Lok Sabha seats in Kerala at stake in the second phase of polling tomorrow, the electoral drama unfolds with its usual intensity, underscoring the unique political landscape of the state.
Amid reports that a section of CPI(M) leaders and workers were unhappy and aghast over party senior leader Kodiyeri Balakrishnan’s mortal remains not being kept for the public to pay homage at the AKG Centre, the party state headquarters in Thiruvananthapuram, the party’s Kerala unit on Saturday said the decision to shift the body of the departed leader directly from Chennai to Thalassery and then to Kannur was taken heeding the advice of doctors to avoid a long journey with the cortege.
The CPI(M) state secretariat, in a statement on Saturday said due to prolonged illness, the body of Kodiyeri Balakrishnan had deteriorated enormously and hence the doctors had advised to avoid long journeys.
The party state secretariat came out with this explanation in the backdrop of criticisms from various quarters for not bringing the mortal remains of the veteran leader to Thiruvananthapuram and placing the body at the AKG Centre, so party workers could pay homage to the late leader.
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Many a party workers and cadres were under the impression that Kodiyeri’s body would be brought to Thiruvananthapuram from Chennai, and from there the body would be taken to Kannur in a cortege, just like it was done in the case of former chief minister E K Nayanar who died in May 2004.
The CPI-M state secretariat also expressed its gratitude to all doctors and other health officials who rendered their service for Kodiyeri’s treatment. It also expressed its gratitude to thousands of party workers, others who paid homage to the departed leader.
CPI-M former Kerala secretary and political bureau member Kodiyeri Balakrishnan died at Apollo Hospital in Chennai last Saturday while undergoing treatment for cancer. He was cremated at Payyamabalam in Kannur last Monday. A special aircraft flew in his body from Chennai to Kannur.
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