Thiruvananthapuram: Reacting to reports that Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had barred CPM Central Committee member P K Sreemathy from attending the state secretariat meeting, party state secretary M V Govindan clarified that it is not the Chief Minister’s role to decide who attends party committees. He said the decision regarding PK Sreemathy not being involved in the state unit activities was part of the party’s organisational stance.

“P K Sreemathy was a member of the CPM state committee and state secretariat. However, having crossed the age of 75, she stepped down from both the state committee and the secretariat. It cannot be termed retirement. She is currently serving as the All India President of the Mahila Association. She was included in the central committee with special consideration as a woman leader working at the all-India level. Her inclusion in the central committee is intended for activities at the national level, not to participate in organisational work in Kerala,” Govindan explained.

When the secretariat meeting began last week, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan reportedly told Sreemathy that no special exemption had been granted to her to attend. However, Sreemathy later stated that after speaking to general secretary M A Baby and state secretary M V Govindan, she was informed of no such restriction.

Vijayan had stated that the age relaxation granted at the Party Congress applied only to the central committee, and with that explanation, no further comments were made by anyone else.

Sreemathy did not attend the secretariat meeting held on Friday. However, she did participate in the state committee meeting on Saturday.