KOZHIKODE: Leader of Opposition V D Satheesan has alleged that a coterie led by Works Minister P A Mohamed Riyas has hijacked the functioning of the Chief Minister’s Office, keeping Pinarayi Vijayan in the dark. Addressing a press conference here on Saturday, he said the removal of the chairman of the Kerala State Forward Communities Development Corporation is the latest example. The chief minister said he was not aware of such a development, Satheesan said.
He said there are many within the CPM who have deep resentment over the present situation of the party, but no one has the courage to openly express it. “Party secretary M V Govindan has become a megaphone of Pinarayi Vijayan. He has no qualms in changing his previous statement. Govindan had stated that the Puthuppally by-election would be a test of the popularity of the LDF government. But he retracted it after the election result was announced,” he said.
Satheesan said the byelection result is the expression of people’s anger towards the government. “The chief minister has not yet responded to the defeat though it was a slap on the face of the government. Even good communists who are pained over the present situation of the LDF government have voted for the UDF,” he said.
Satheesan said the UDF’s victory is the result of teamwork. “This will be the style of functioning in the coming elections. Puthuppally has given a new energy for the future fights,” he said.