Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan leaves for Europe tour

Kochi, Oct 4 (IANS) Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, along with a delegation of officials, left for Norway on an official tour early on Tuesday.

Vijayan, a few cabinet colleagues with a team of officials, had earlier planned to leave for Finland, Norway, and Great Britain in the first week of this month, but in the wake of the untimely death of politburo member Kodiyeri Balakrishnan, the trip was deferred.

As per the revised schedule, the Finland leg of the tour has reportedly been cancelled and the chief minister and his team will land in Norway on Wednesday.

The discussions in Norway will focus around taking forward the maritime needs of Kerala and in Britain and Wales and strengthening the education and financial sectors of the state.

The visit comes at a time when the state is passing through an extremely rough patch financially and the social media had one round of bash, when the news of the European trip surfaced last month.

While speaking at the condolence meeting of his party colleague Kodiyeri on Monday, an emotional Vijayan could be struggling for words.