Low turnout to hear Pinarayi Vijayan

published on February 5, 2014

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: When CPM state secretary Pinarayi Vijayan narrated how the previous UDF government cooked up the SNC-Lavalin corruption case and how the present UDF government had hatched a conspiracy theory to put the CPM in the dock in the TP murder case, there were more empty chairs than listeners at the Putharikandom ground. A quick estimate of the crowd at the venue when Pinarayi’s speech was in progress gave a figure less than 1,800.

The comrades started leaving the ground the moment Pinarayi Vijayan entered the venue and this had shocked the district CPM leadership.

CPM workers from Thiruvananthapuram, Nemom, Kazhakoottam and Kovalam assembly constituencies had been directed to attend the reception at Gandhi Park. “There was good turnout at 6 pm when the programme was scheduled to start. But comrades returned when the programme got late,” said a district level CPM leader.

The shock of the low turnout becomes harsher when compared to the fact that the same venue presented a packed audience that had spilled over to the ground and heard every word of Pinarayi Vijayan patiently when the CPM organized a solidarity meet against the alleged conspiracy to frame CPM leaders in the TP murder case in June 2012.

Addressing the dedicated comrades who bothered to sit through, Vijayan said the move to reopen TP murder case using a different agency was illegal and won’t be accepted by the people. “Even in the conspiracy case, the SIT completed probe and submitted chargesheet. K K Rema had hailed the special investigation team at one stage. Neither Rema nor RMP had expressed any displeasure over the functioning of the SIT,” said Vijayan.

He alleged that the fast of Rema has turned out to be a forum for all right-wing and extremist forces. “From Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan to SDPI, all right-wing, extremist and communal forces had expressed solidarity with Rema. Our land is realizing all these,” he said.

Major LDF constituents like CPI and JD (S) were also absent at the reception to the yatra. Kerala Congress leader V Surendran Pillai and Congress (S) leader Kadannappally Ramachandran and E K Nayanar’s widow Sarada teacher were among those who attended the function. Kerala Raksha Yatra will tour the district on Wednesday and Thursday.

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