Kodiyeri cremated with full state honours, CM Pinarayi breaks down

The mortal remains of CPI(M) stalwart Kodiyeri Balakrishnan were consigned to flames on Monday, October 3 in Kannur in the presence of tens of thousands of party workers and senior leaders. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and Marxist party General Secretary Sitaram Yechury, along with other leaders carried the body of Balakrishnan to the pyre readied at Payyambalam beach. Balakrishnan, who was the former Home and Tourism minister of Kerala, was cremated with full state honours. His two sons, Binoy and Bineesh, lit the pyre while slogans hailing the departed leader reverberated across the beach.

Pinarayi, party state secretary M V Govindan, leaders M A Baby, A Vijayaraghavan, M V Jayarajan, and state ministers took part in the over three kilometre long procession of party workers. Pinarayi struggled to complete his eulogy while speaking about the departed leader and bid a tearful farewell. The senior Left leader passed away at a private hospital in Chennai on October 1 after battling cancer. He was 70.

Earlier, thousands paid their last respects to CPI(M) politburo member and former party state secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan on Monday at his residence in Madapeedika near Kannur where the body was brought from Thalassery town hall the previous night. The body was brought to his residence for the family to pay their last respects.

Chief Minister Pinarayi along with his family accompanied the body and spent time with Balakrishnan's family consoling them. A moving image of Pinarayi, sitting next to Balakrishnan's body at Thalassery town hall, has since gone viral.

On Monday morning, the body was taken to Kannur District Committee office, 27 kilometres away, and people gathered on both sides of the national highway to catch a last glimpse of the Marxist party leader. Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan, who has reached Kannur, will pay his last respects to Balakrishnan.

Pinarayi, his cabinet colleagues, senior party leaders including CPI(M) General Secretary Sitaram Yechury, Prakash Karat, Leader of Opposition in state Assembly V D Satheesan, Indian Union Muslim League leaders among others reached Kannur District Committee office in advance.

Meanwhile, preparations were underway for the funeral at Payyambalam beach where Balakrishnan will be cremated near the memorials of former chief minister E K Nayanar and former CPI(M) state secretary Chadayan Govindan. Payyambalam beach is known for the memorials of some of the most prominent social and political leaders of Kerala including Nayanar, Swadeshabhimani Ramakrishna Pillai, A K Gopalan, Sukumar Azhikode, Govindan among others. A memorial for Balakrishnan will also be erected there, party sources said. 

The body will be taken to Payyambalam beach from the party district committee office as a funeral procession and the cremation is expected to take place at 3 pm. Balakrishnan, is survived by his wife and two sons.