Kochi: Has the CPM firebrand youth leader A N Shamsheer, MLA, invited the wrath of the party for taking a dig at high profile PWD Minister P A Mohammad Riyas.
Shamsheer had lost his cool the other day at the Parliamentary party meeting at Thiruvananthapuram where he took exception to Riyas’ statement in the assembly that the legislators should not come to meet him along with contractors.
Riyas, son-in-law of Chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan, said this during the question answer session.
The minister cannot dictate terms on the MLAs, Shamsheer reportedly said at the meeting which was conspicuous by the absence of the Chief Minister.
Shamsheer said the legislators are duty-bound to take care of the problems of the people of one’s constituency.
There could be situations when MLAs have to accompany different people to meet ministers, Shamsheer said, reminding that the party had adopted a policy to show humility in the wake of the left front getting a second term in the office.
Riyas preferred to remain cool and not react to the remarks while T P Ramakrishnan, who presided, came to the aid of Riyas saying that the minister might have said it in the best interest of the government.
This goes to show the stand of the official group is to lobby for Riyas.
Shamsheer’s grouse has stemmed from his inability to fetch a ministerial berth in the government.
Shamsheer has worked as SFI state secretary abd DYFI state chief while Riyas got the wild card to bypass all smaller rungs to reach the top post of DYFI at National level.
Riyas and Shamsheer came to the state committee together but Riyas got into state ministry on the grounds that he represented the minority youth section of Kozhikkode.
The Kozhikkode group silently opposed the decision of the party to field Shamsheer in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections.
It was for this reason that Mullappally Ramachandran won the election, according to Shamsheer supporters.
