KANNUR: It is often repeated that ‘you know nothing about this party’ whenever a discussion about the tactics and policies of CPM comes up. The party wants to project itself as being different from others and it showed on Monday that it really meant it, but for a different reason.
On a day when the all-India strike called by the joint council of various central trade unions had brought the state to a standstill, various works as part of organising the party congress went on uninterrupted in Kannur. This happened on a day CPM members threatened and even manhandled some persons in different parts of the state to enforce the strike called against the alleged anti-people policies of the Central government.
Though the party leadership denied that no work had taken place at Nayanar Academy as the work of the pandal was already completed the night before, many migrant workers were seen levelling and cleaning the venue so that chairs could be arranged without any difficulty.
Apart from this, the construction of the stage for the inaugural ceremony of the first anniversary of LDF government also went uninterrupted at the police ground. At the collectorate ground, where the exhibition of history and art and the preparation of stalls for the international book fair will be held as part the party congress also went on as usual on Monday.
“The work in connection with erecting the pandal was completed on Sunday night itself. Now, there is no work going on,” claimed CPM district secretary M V Jayarajan. “We have decided to do the work for making seating arrangements after the strike. Some of the migrant workers are staying at the venue. People might have misunderstood their presence at the venue,” said Jayarajan.