A new controversy has erupted in the CPI(M) unit of Kerala over how the mortal remains of Kodiyeri Balakrishnan, the former State secretary and Home Minister, was denied the honor of lying in state at AKG Centre, the State Head Quarters of the party at Thiruvananthapuram.
Balakrishnan was staying in the party’s deluxe apartments adjacent to AKG Centre before he was taken to Chennai for treatment. He breathed his last late Saturday evening and his dead body was flown to Kannur by an air ambulance and cremated at Payyambalam Beach on Monday.
Party insiders point out many discrepancies as well as discrimination in the last rites of Balakrishnan. “The public in Thiruvananthapuram should have been given a chance to offer their tributes to Comrade Kodiyeri by placing the mortal remains at AKG Centre for a few hours and then they could have flown the body to Kannur by another chartered flight. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan who spends crores in hiring helicopters and purchasing a fleet of SUVs could have easily arranged all these things at a fraction of the expenses he spends for his personal needs. The official bungalow of the Chief Minister has a cattleshed constructed at an expense of Rs 45 lakh,” said a senior party leader.
He pointed out how E K Nayanar, the late chief minister, was accorded a royal sent off when he breathed his last in New Delhi. “Nayanar died in New Delhi and his dead body was airlifted to Thiruvananthapuram by a special aircraft. Then it was laid in state at the AKG Centre for a day before it was taken to Kannur for the last rites. The CPI(M) had made it a grand road show because of the assembly election which was scheduled in 2006. Interestingly, the party was not in power in the State at that time,” said the leader who did not want his name to be quoted. The CPI(M) was in Opposition and A K Antony was the chief minister of the State at that time.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s breaking down and cutting short his speech during the condolence meeting held immediately after the cremation of Balakrishnan looks theatrical. Even before the funeral pyre got completely burnt, Vijayan rushed to Thiruvananthapuram and flew away with his confidante ministers for a 15-day European jaunt. People who saw him at the airport were surprised to see the joy and happiness on the face of the chief minister who was shedding tears on Monday evening.
The denial of the honor of lying in State at party headquarters to Balakrishnan is similar to the treatment meted out to PV Narasimha Rao, the former Prime Minister and Congress President by Sonia Gandhi and her family. “Rao’s mortal remains were not allowed anywhere near the Congress headquarters in New Delhi. He was denied the honor of getting cremated in New Delhi unlike former Congress Prime Minsters,” said a veteran political commentator.
Another version going the rounds in the State has Mohammed Riyaz, minister for PWD and Tourism as the protagonist. “Riyaz, whose links with Islamic terrorists and extremists, never liked Balakrishnan and his family who were believers in temple worship. Riyaz always considered Balakrishnan as an infidel and he has exerted pressure on his father-in-law (Pinarayi Vijayan) not to allow Balakrishnan’s body anywhere near AKG Centre. Riyaz’s hatred for Hindus is an open secret,” said a CPI(M) leader close to the Chief Minister’s family.
Riyaz is the new husband of Veena, Vijayan’s daughter. The CPI(M) leadership, masters in distorting news and facts may issue statements claiming that the dead body had to be cremated as Balakrishnan died because of cancer and the medicines administered on him during the treatment would have caused the body to decompose faster. But this is a standard explanation and medical doctors rule out such a scenario.
The fact remains that Karana Bhoothan (as Vijayan is addressed by party leaders like MA Baby and Thomas Issac) did not accord Balakrishnan the respect he deserved. Chances of Balakrishnan’s sons coming out in the open questioning the disrespect shown to their father are remote as both of them are facing a series of criminal cases.
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