Kannur: Amid controversy over CPM's moves to cosy up to IUML, former state minister and Muslim League national general secreatry P K Kunhalikutty decided to stay away from the M V Raghavan commemoration meet in Kannur on Thursday.
The meet is organised by the CPM-controlled MV Raghavan Memorial Charitable Trust.
Kunhalikutty was invited to deliver the keynote address the seminar on the "role of cooperative sector in constructing Kerala".
Sources said the IUML's decision not to associate with the pro-CPM Trust was taken after its UDF allies Congress and CMP objected to the plan.
IUML district president Abdul Kareem Chelery said Kunhalikutty conveyed his decision to stay away from the meet late last night. "Initially, we had planned to attend the programme. I am not aware of the reason for not participating," he told Onmanorama.
The much-publicised invitation to the IUML leader was seen as CPM's fresh bid to woo the League to its fold. However, organisers claimed that Kunhalikkutty was invited because he was closely associated with the later leader Raghavan and the two had worked for the development of the cooperative sector in the state.
Earlier, IUML had turned down the CPM's invitation to participate in the Palestine solidarity meet in Kozhikode, scheduled on November 11.
In its outreach to the IUML, CPM had invited the former for a seminar in connection with the Citizen (Amendment) Act (CAA) in 2020. League was initially in favour of attending the programme, but later turned it down citing the Congress’ exclusion.
