Hundreds of Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] activists accorded a rousing reception to the Kerala Raksha Yatra led by party State unit secretary Pinarayi Vijayan on its arrival in the city late Tuesday evening.
Mr. Vijayan, who arrived at Putharikandam Maidan in an open red jeep, was greeted by the activists with loud sloganeering and firework display.
Yatra team members E.P. Jayarajan, A. Vijayaraghavan, P.K. Sreemathy, M.V. Govindan, A.K. Balan, Elamaram Karim, and Baby John joined Mr. Vijayan on the podium decked in red.
Addressing the gathering, Mr. Vijayan accused the United Democratic Front (UDF) government of having made consistent attempts to defame the CPI(M), and cited the SNC-Lavalin case and the T.P. Chandrasekharan murder case as two instances in point. The attempt of the UDF government to prolong the Lavalin case at the trial stage was part of this game. However, finally, the court threw it out with the observation that it did not merit even trial.
In the Chandrasekharan murder case, the attempt was to set the stage for a Central Bureau of Investigation inquiry, he said.
Earlier in the day, the ‘yatra’ was received at the entry point to the district by CPI(M) district unit secretary Kadakampally Surendran and district leaders and activists. It was accorded a rousing reception at Varkala and Chirayinkeezhu.
The yatra will tour different constituencies in the district on Wednesday and Thursday, and return to Kollam to continue its northward journey.
