Pamba: General Secretary of SNDP Yogam, Vellappally Natesan, on Saturday stated that he is a devotee of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. He made the remarks while speaking to the media after inaugurating the Ayyappa Sangamam, an event he also attended by travelling in the Chief Minister’s car.

Vellappally expressed his deep admiration for Pinarayi Vijayan, stressing that he is the only leader fit to head the state.

“I like Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan that much. In the past, I have praised him and he has praised me. Next time, Pinarayi himself will become the Chief Minister. There is no point in anyone else becoming the Chief Minister,” he said.

He further argued that within the Left Front, no other leader matches Vijayan’s ability to lead.

“There may be worthy people, but only Pinarayi has the leadership quality to lead. No one else in the Left Front has the power that Pinarayi has to manage everyone and move forward. On the other side, there is infighting in the UDF. The UDF is becoming irrelevant,” Vellappally said.

Addressing the contrast between communist ideology and religious devotion, Vellappally noted that many in the party, including CM Vijayan, are devotees at heart.

“Even though all these people speak of atheism for ideology’s sake, 90 percent of those who come to see Ayyappan are communists. Although Pinarayi has said certain things in the past, he himself has come here twice. If he were not a devotee, would he be able to come here? All of them have devotion in their hearts. Didn’t he accept Ayyappan with his heart today?” he asked.