Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Friday debunked Union Minister K.J. Alphons’ claim that he had received the invitation for the Kerala Loka Sabha only on Thursday.
Mr. Vijayan said he had cross-checked Mr. Alphons’ statement and found that the Minister had received the invite well in advance and sent a signed acceptance letter in reciprocation. In a humorous vein, Mr. Vijayan said it often happened to people who hold high office, including him.
An expatriate member interrupted Mr. Alphons when he waxed eloquent about the achievements of the Central government. He asked loudly what the Minister had to say to emigrants. The Chief Minister also did not buy into Mr. Alphons’ proposal to create large tourist parks in Munnar.
The Union Minister said Munnar should focus on prolonged tourist stays and not brief visits, which generated little revenue and more traffic. Mr. Vijayan said more buildings might not augur well for Munnar’s fragile ecology. There might be more eco-friendly ways to develop the hill station.
Mr. Alphons said the grammar and interpretation of politics in the country was changing. Ideology no more posed a hurdle when it came to joining hands for the country’s development. He said Mr. Vijayan understood the political dynamic better than most leaders.
