Thiruvananthapuram, Oct 2 (BPNS)
After the CPI-M leader Kodiyeri Balakrishnan’s body was brought to his home district of Kannur, a huge crowd thronged both sides of the road to have a last glimpse of the departed leader.
Kodiyeri Balakrishnan passed away at Appolo Hospital , Chennai on Saturday night after a long battle with cancer. His mortal remains reached Kannur airport at 1.15 pm and the 23 kilometers from Kannur airport to Thalassery town hall is filled with a heavy crowd on both sides of the road.
While the CPI-M Kannur district committee has made arrangements at 11 places for people to pay homage to him, the huge crowd has prevented the vehicle from being stopped in between. The CPI-M leadership has decided the ambulance carrying his dead body not be stopped in between and to allow people to have a final glimpse of his body at Thalassery town hall. The body will be kept at Thalassery town hall till late at night and after that, the body will be taken to his residence’ Kodiyeri’ in Ingayil Peedika, Thalassery.
Karayi Chandrashekaran, CPI-M leader who is accompanying the mortal remains of the departed leader while speaking to BPNS said, “ The heavy crowd on both sides of the road have prevented us from stopping the ambulance in between and mostly the body will be kept at Thalasery town hall for the people to pay their last respects.”
It is to be noted that Kodiyeri Balakrishnan who shot to prominence after becoming the state secretary of the student of body of the CPI-M, SFI at the age of 20 became the Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) from Thalassery at the age of 29. In between, he served one and half year prison term during the emergency days and shared a cell at Kannur central jail with Pinarayi Vijayan, the present Chief Minister of Kerala.
The body of Kodiyeri Balakrishnan will be taken to the CPI-M district committee office tomorrow morning and the public can pay their last respects to the departed leader from 10 am at the party district committee office. The funeral of the late CPI-M leader will take place at the Payyambalam beachside at 3 pm on Monday.
Kodiyeri Balakrishnan has been a five-term MLA from Thalassery since 1982 and has been the state home and tourism minister in the V.S. Achuthanandan cabinet. At the time of his passing away, he was a Politburo member of the CPI-M which is the highest decision-making post in the party.
