Kodiyeri's body will be brought to Thalassery on Sunday, Funeral on Monday at 3 pm

CHENNAI: The funeral of the late CPM former state secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan will be held at 3 pm on Monday. The body will be brought to Thalassery tomorrow afternoon. The body will be kept at Thalassery Town Hall from 3 pm onwards for the public to pay homage.

Kodiyeri, who had been undergoing treatment for cancer at Apollo Hospital, Chennai, passed away today at 8 pm. He led the party as the state secretary of CPM three times. He became MLA five times. Kodiyeri was a mild-mannered leader among the strict communists.

Kodiyeri, who was elected as CPM state secretary during the Alappuzha conference in 2015, played a crucial role in ensuring that there were no issues between the party and the government during the term of the first Pinarayi government. Kodiyeri, who remained at the helm in the 2018 Thrissur conference, showed the flexibility to carry the CPM and the Left Front without any discomfort. It was Kodiyeri who cooled down the CPI whenever the CPI came up with public riots during the term of the first Pinarayi government.