KANNUR: The 23rd CPM party congress got underway in Kannur, the citadel of the communist movement. The flag was hoisted by senior politburo member S Ramachandran Pillai at the academy grounds in Barnasseri which is in the name of E K Nayanar.

The representatives meet was inaugurated by party general secretary Sitaram Yechury. The flag was hoisted by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, who is also the chairman of the welcome committee at AKG Nagar, Jawahar Stadium, the venue of the public meeting.

The party congress will be attended by 811 delegates from 24 states. Of these, 77 are observers and 95 central committee members. Most of the delegates are from Kerala. 178 including three observers. There are 163 from Bengal, 53 from Tamil Nadu and 40 from Tripura. There are no foreign delegates this time. Preparations have been made all over Kannur city to announce the strength of the party in the district. Until the end of the party congress, the CPM central committee office will be at Nayanar Academy.

In his welcome address, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan clarified his stance on the SilverlLine at the party congress venue. The chief minister mentioned that preparations are being made for the construction of a semi-high speed railway that can travel from the south to the north of Kerala in four hours.

The government will ensure adequate compensation when land is acquired for development projects. This has been made clear and a large-scale campaign is being carried out in homes. Equal importance will be given to economic growth, social justice and nature conservation. Every effort is being made to obtain the final approval of the central government. However, in his welcome address, the chief minister said that the opposition parties were protesting against the project.