Thiruvananthapuram: Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan paid homage to senior Congress leader and former minister Aryadan Muhammed who passed away at a hospital in Kozhikode on Sunday. 

"He politically aligned with and against the left parties throughout his political career. He was a distinguished legislator and always ready to uphold secular ideals," CM said. He added that Aryadan Muhammed was a leader who excelled in presenting his arguments in the Assembly.

Meanwhile, former Chief Minister Oommen Chandy said Aryadan Muhammad was a true secularist and the face of the Congress in Malabar. 

"He was an excellent administrator, politician and trade union leader. In 2004, when he was the electricity minister in the UDF cabinet, he played a pivotal role in bringing electricity to the hilly areas and tribal hamlets. He was also behind taking initiatives in resolving voltage fluctuations in Malabar. His demise is a great loss to Congress and for secular Kerala," Oommen Chandy wrote in his Facebook post.