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Congress rejects Mani Shankar Aiyar’s remark that Pinarayi Vijayan will continue to be Kerala CM
The Congress on Sunday distanced itself from comments by party member Mani Shankar Aiyar that Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader Pinarayi Vijayan would continue as Kerala’s chief minister.
Party leader Pawan Khera said that Aiyar had “no connection whatsoever” with the Congress in recent years and added that the party would return to power in the state.
The Kerala Assembly elections are expected to be held in April.
Speaking at an event inaugurated by Vijayan in Thiruvananthapuram on Sunday, Aiyar said amendments should be introduced to legally secure Kerala’s leading position in implementing the panchayati raj system, PTI reported.
“But while Kerala is the first state in panchayati raj in practice, it ranks only second in law,” PTI quoted him as saying. “So in the presence of the chief minister, who I am sure will be the next chief minister, I renew my plea that in order to reinforce Kerala as the best panchayati raj state in the country, state laws should be amended based on practical experience…”
Later in the day, Congress leader Pawan Khera said on social media that Aiyar speaks and writes “purely in his personal capacity” and has no connection with the party.
Congress MP Jairam Ramesh also shared Khera’s post and said that the residents of Kerala would bring the United Democratic Front back to power.
“Let there be no doubt,” the Rajya Sabha MP said. “The people of Kerala will bring the UDF back for more responsible and responsive governance. They also know LDF [Left Democratic Front] and BJP [Bharatiya Janata Party] are covert partners.”
The ruling Left Democratic Front in Kerala is led by the Communist Party of India (Marxist).
Congress general secretary KC Venugopal described Aiyar’s remarks as his “personal opinion” and not the party’s position, ANI reported on Monday.
“Mani Shankar Aiyar is not currently in the Congress party,” the news agency quoted him as saying.
Sachin Pilot, appointed by the party as senior observer for the Kerala Assembly elections, also said that Aiyar was not part of the Congress, according to ANI.
On Monday, Aiyar said his remark that Vijayan would be the next chief minister had been “blown out of proportion” by the media, PTI reported.
He said the comment was “half a line” in his speech and had been exaggerated. However, Aiyar added that the Left Democratic Front government in Kerala was doing “outstanding work”, the news agency reported.
The former MP also said that only Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge could remove him from the party.
Source: Scroll
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