New AKG Centre building inaugurated

The new AKG Centre at Thiruvananthapuram

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, Polit Bureau member of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)], inaugurated the new AKG Centre, headquarters of the party’s State committee, here on Wednesday.

The nine-storey solar powered building, spread over 60,000 square feet, has facilities for the State committee offices, hall for press conferences, office rooms for Polit Bureau, Central committee and State committee members, studio, two floors underground for parking.

The new AKG centre is the second building in the State to have a Green Rating for Integrated Habitat Assessment (GRIHA)-4 rating, endorsed by the Union Ministry of New and Renewable Energy. The old AKG centre, inaugurated in 1979, will continue to house the party’s research and studies centre, which organises the International Congress on Kerala Studies. The public meeting after the inauguration began with a minute’s silence in memory of the victims of the terror attack in Pahalgam on Tuesday and Pope Francis.

Played key role

Mr. Vijayan, who credited former State secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan for playing a key role in the construction of the new headquarters, said that the party has over the years overcome severe challenges to attain the position of strength that it currently occupies.

“Every time the Left Democratic Front (LDF) gained power, it has implemented programmes to ensure Kerala’s progress. The governments that came in between tried to reverse these gains, but were prevented from doing so due to the strong resistance through mass protests. The LDF has over the past two tenures implemented projects including the National Highway, coastal and hill highways, which were thought to be impossible, in addition to unprecedented achievements in every sector,” said Mr. Vijayan.

He said that the right leaning mainstream media in the State has since the early days been running a campaign of lies and fake propaganda against the CPI(M). “When the AKG centre came under attack, the media even claimed that CPI(M) workers were behind the attack. However, these claims were disproved when the real culprits were caught. They even tried to create a fake narrative on the inauguration of this new headquarters, claiming that an auspicious day was chosen for it. We chose it because this was the only available date which does not clash with our other commitments,” he said.

Third consecutive shot

CPI(M) general secretary M.A. Baby said that the left and the CPI(M) have to be strengthened in the country to put up resistance against the neo-fascist forces that are currently in control of the country. Kerala is expected to take the lead in giving a direction to the left forces. He expressed confidence that the LDF will be able to have a third consecutive shot at power if it continues to be vigilant in its ground work.

CPI(M) State secretary M.V. Govindan, who presided over the function, said that the party has played a big role in the creation of modern Kerala. Leaders of the various constituent parties of the LDF, Ministers, MLAs, MPs and party workers from various walks of life were present at the inaugural ceremony.