Pinarayi Vijayan releases book on Communist leader Krishna Shetty

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has released a book on late Krishna Shetty, a veteran leader of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI (M)) in the coastal region, on Monday, at Thiruvananthapuram.

Releasing Struggle for Equality, edited by former Central Arecanut and Cocoa Marketing and Processing Co-operative Ltd. (CAMPCO) Managing Director Pramod Kumar Rai at his official residence, Cliff House, Mr. Vijayan recalled the contribution of the late Shetty and his peers in laying a strong foundation for the party in the South.

Several dignitaries, including Betty Louis, wife of CPI (M) general secretary M.A. Baby, Ministers V. Sivankitty, R. Bindu, Mr. Rai, and others, were present on the occasion.

Though hailing from a landlord’s family in Thimmangoor of Vorkady village in Manjeshwar taluk of Kasaragod district, Shetty chose to fight for the cause of the common man and dedicated his entire life to the communist movement.

He was a close associate of CPI (M) leader A.K. Gopalan. When the Communist Party of India was split, Shetty joined the group led by Gopalan, E.M.S. Namboodiripad, Jyoti Basu and others.

Chief Minister Vijayan recalled the services rendered by those elder leaders in laying the foundation of the Communist Party in the South.

The book contains articles from eminent Communist workers and others, including former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda, former Chief Ministers S.M. Krishna, and M. Veerappa Moily. Several literary personalities, including A.V. Navda and Amrit Someshwara, have shared their experiences in the book.