The month-long ‘Nava Kerala Yatra’ undertaken by CPI(M) Polit Bureau member Pinarayi Vijayan from Kasaragod to the State capital will draw to a close here on Sunday, after achieving its primary objective of firing up the party’s organisational machinery for the upcoming Assembly elections and taking the battle of wits to the rival United Democratic Front (UDF) camp.
The Yatra, which has brought Mr. Vijayan back into the limelight after a brief period of relative invisibility after demitting office as party State secretary, has given both the CPI(M) and the man who is considered to be the frontrunner for the post of Chief Minister in the event of the Opposition Left Democratic Front (LDF) romping home in the April-May Assembly polls the opportunity to connect with the masses during a month of fast-paced political developments.
The Yatra had begun on an aggressive note, with Mr. Vijayan using every available opportunity to tear into the Oommen Chandy government. With new disclosures on the solar scam and the bar bribery row coming out everyday, he was able to use the daily interactions with the media and the rallies organised to receive the Yatra to drive home the point that the UDF had lost the moral authority to govern the State.
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The Yatra suffered somewhat of a setback when the State government filed a petition in the Kerala High Court seeking permission to implead in the CBI petition questioning the CBI Special Court’s decision to clear Mr. Vijayan and the other accused in the SNC-Lavalin case and an early hearing in the case. The arrest of CPI(M) Kannur district secretary P. Jayarajan by the CBI has also proved a dampener, though how the two developments will play out in the political arena is yet to be known.
The State CPI(M) is all set to move to the next stage of its preparations for the Assembly elections and the gains of the Yatra would be crucial in taking the CPI(M) to its goal of wresting power in the State. The Yatra entered Thiruvananthapuram on Saturday. The party is planning a huge rally, with participation by an estimated three lakh party workers and sympathisers. Party general secretary Sitaram Yechuri would address the rally, possibly giving indications as to which way the party intends to move as it gets into election mode.