Suresh Gopi calls on E K Nayanar's family on his first visit to Kerala as union minister

KANNUR: BJP leader and newly appointed Union Minister Suresh Gopi on Wednesday visited the family members of CPI(M) veteran and former Kerala Chief Minister late E K Nayanar here.

Gopi, who returned to Kerala for the first time after becoming MoS for Tourism and Petroleum, visited various temples in this northern district and offered prayers.

He later visited Nayanar's home, located in Kalliasseri here where he was warmly welcomed by the late veteran's wife, Sarada teacher, and other family members. After giving her a hug, Gopi exchanged pleasantries with her and gave her sweets.

Sarada, fondly called as Sarada teacher, gifted him a book penned by her about her late husband. Both also posed for photos when the mediapersons requested them.

Sarada later told the media that there was no politics behind the visit of the union minister.

She said they had an intimate relationship with Gopi and his family for years, and he had visited the home several times before as well.

On many occasions, Gopi had recalled his close relationship with Nayanar, one of the most popular leaders of the Marxist party.

Later in the day, the union minister visited eminent writer T Padmanabhan at his home in the district.

He sought the blessings of the nonagenarian leader and held discussions with him for some time. The writer gifted him books.

Padmanabhan later told reporters that Gopi clearly knows that he is not a BJP sympathiser but has been maintaining a good relationship with him for years.

"Human relationships are beyond politics. Suresh Gopi is capable. He has a noble mind also," the writer said, adding that both tourism and petroleum are good portfolios and he could contribute well to the development of the state.

Gopi won the Thrissur Lok Sabha seat, opening an account for the BJP in Kerala.

Thrissur had witnessed a three-way contest for the Lok Sabha polls, with major candidates from the Congress, BJP, and CPI locked in a neck-and-neck battle.

Gopi had taken on the UDF candidate, senior Congress leader K Muraleedharan, and Left leader and former Kerala minister, CPI's Sunil Kumar, in Thrissur this time, and won from the constituency.