Centre curbing state powers: CM Pinarayi Vijayan

MALAPPURAM: Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Tuesday said that the BJP-led union government had  intensified its efforts to snatch the powers of the states by meddling in their  affairs. “Stability in states is essential to strengthen the country. But there are attempts to weaken the states,” he said while inaugurating a seminar on the  ‘World of EMS’ at Chemmad near Tirurangadi. “The space  for the states to raise their own issues has  been curtailed by the centre. The situation  has turned  dangerous because the centre  has crossed the limits  in attempting to curb the rights of the citizens,” he said.

The 20th edition of the annual seminar is being organised by the EMS Memorial Research Centre to commemorate the birth anniversary of Kerala’s first chief minister EMS Nampoothiripad. Mr V. Abdurahman MLA presided over the session.  Speaker P. Sreeramakrishnan,  who delivered the EMS memorial lecture,  spoke on 60 years of Kerala and its revolutionary pieces of legislation that paved the way for  social changes. 

Others who spoke included LSG Minister Dr. K.T. Jaleel (Pluralism and nationalism), Veena George MLA (Fourth pillar of democracy- from swadeshabhimani to corporate and communal brokers), K.E.N. Kunhahammed (States and resistance) and Prof. M.M. Narayanan (Cultural nationalism and culture of nationalism). The second day of the seminar would commemorate the 150th year of Karl Marx’s Das Capital. The session will be inaugurated by Mr Kodiyeri Balakrishnan, CPM state secretary.  Mr Prakash Karat, Dr. Sunil P. Ilayidam and Mr  A. Vijayaraghavan will  also speak.