THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Former opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala expressed amazement at the icy silence continued by the government in the murder of the five-year-old girl in Aluva.

“ For five long months, CM Pinarayi Vijayan hasn't responded to any issues concerning Kerala. What moral conscience does he uphold to sit in that revered chair ?” asked Ramesh Chennithala.

The former opposition leader also accused the CM to be a puppet in the hands of some external forces that are actually running the office.

“What happened in Aluva is disastrous and it again reflects the fact that the home ministry has gone kaput.”

The Congress leader asked the CM and his ilks in government to drop silence and console the beleaguered family in Aluva. Meanwhile, criticism turned rife after the congress workers pointed to the absence of government representatives, including district collector, Tahsildar, during the cremation ceremony. The DCC has planned to conduct a march towards the Aluva police station on Monday in protest against the lax shown by the government.