Kerala bids tearful adieu to departed leader Kodiyeri
K ann ur :“la ls al am comrade ”- chan ted thousands of people who had assembled at Payyambalam Beach near here, where the body of senior Communist leader and former Kerala home minister Kodiyeri Balakrishnan, who died at Chennai on Saturday ater a two year long fight against cancer, was consigned to flames Monday aternoon.
Communist Party of India - Marxist (CPIM) leaders including Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, CPIM general secretary Sitaram Yechuri, were present with scores of party functionaries, political and cultural leaders, when the pyre was jointly lit by Kodiyeri’s sons Binoy and Bineesh.
Pinarayi Vijayan and Sitaram Yechury were among those who carried the mortal remains to the pyre on their shoulders.
Former ministers MA Baby, KK Shailaja, PK Sreemathy, CPIM state secretary MV Govindan, and others walked the 3.5 km-stretch funeral procession despite the scorching sun.
The funeral procession carrying his mortal remains reached Payyambalam Beach from Azhikodan Mandiram, where it was kept for public to pay their last respects.
Kodiyeri’s pyre was set up between the tombstones of former chief minister EK Nayanar and CPIM stalwart Chadayan Govindan.
Pay yam ba lamb each is known for the memorials of some of the most prominent social and political leaders of Kerala including Nayanar, AK Gopalan, Swadeshabhimani Ramakrishna Pillai, Sukumar Azhikode and Govindan among others.
Kodiyeri’s body was brought to his home district Kannur in an air ambulance on Sunday. Long queues were visible in front of the leader’s residence since Sunday evening. At 11 am on Monday, the body was shited to the CPIM district commitee office. Kodiyeri’s body was draped with the party’s red flag.
The former minister was accorded full state honours, including gun salute.
Top CPIM leaders Sitaram Yechury and Prakash Karat arrived from Delhi to pay their respects to the departed colleague.
Kerala Governor Arif Mohammad Khan, leader of opposition VD Satheesan and Congress Kerala unit chief K Sudhakaran also paid tribute to Kodiyeri at the CPIM district office earlier in the day.