Chief Minister Oommen Chandy unveiled the life-sized bronze statue of K Karunakaran in front of the town hall on Wednesday. The function was conspicuous by the absence of K Muraleedharan MLA and Padmaja Venugopal, the wards of the former chief minister.
Even though the ‘A’ and ‘I’ groups of the Congress have been at loggerheads for quite some time, following the appointment of O Abdurahman Kutty as DCC head, senior ‘I’ group leaders from the district were present on the occasion. Both Muraleedharan and Padmaja abstained from the function as they were not given ‘proper’ invitations, sources claimed.
Remembering Karunakaran’s contribution to politics and administration, Chandy said that he was an efficient administrator and politician and grew beyond the boundaries of the state. “He was a true leader who took right decisions at critical times and would alive in the hearts of millions of people. The statue is a fitting memorial to him,” he said.
Chandy announced that the governor has given green signal to install a statue of Karunakaran at Thiruvananthapuram within six months.
KPCC President Ramesh Chennithala said a building in memory of the late leader would be constructed in the state capital. “The leader’s assembly speeches will be compiled and published,” he added.
Cooperation Minister C N Balakrishnan christened the Town Hall as ‘K Karunakaran Memorial Town Hall’. The bronze statue, measuring 10-feet in height, was built at a cost of `26 lakh by sculptor Kunnuvila M Murali.