Kannur (Kerala): Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, who usually carries a tough demeanour, broke down while talking about the demise of his colleague and senior CPM leader Kodiyeri Balakrishnan. Speaking at the condolence meeting in Kannur on Monday, soon after Kodiyeri Balakrishnan was cremated, the Chief Minister was seen holding back his tears and could not complete his speech as his words broke down.
Also read: Former Kerala minister and CPM leader Kodiyeri Balakrishnan passes away
A teary-eyed CM then went back to his chair, trying hard to control his emotions. "His loss is a huge one. Usually, our party works together to overcome such losses. This is not an easy loss to overcome so easily...As I said earlier... I am stopping," the CM said in a shivering voice.
The two leaders nurtured a close relationship right from their youth when both worked for the party. On Sunday, the Chief Minister sat near Kodiyeri's dead body for more than eight hours and on Monday walked along with the ambulance for several kilometres from Kannur District Committee Office to Payyambalam Beach, where Kodiyeri Balakrishnan was cremated.
In the end, he along with CPM general secretary Sitaram Yechuri carried the coffin of the deceased leader. Balakrishnan breathed his last at Apollo hospital in Chennai on Sunday after a long-drawn battle with cancer.
