Idukki (Kerala), March 12 Senior CPI(M) leader M M Mani openly expressed his displeasure on Thursday after Fisheries Minister Saji Cherian did not attend the inauguration of the Multi Species Fish Seed Farm at Vellathooval in this district, and instead declared the facility open online.
Cherian, who was scheduled to inaugurate the farm in person, later decided to do it virtually, a move that did not sit well with Mani.
In a video recorded during the event, Udumbanchola MLA was seen questioning the need to organize the program if the minister planned to inaugurate it online.
"If the minister wants to do it online, why go through all this trouble?" Mani asked, adding that his displeasure should be conveyed to the minister.
He said that instead of the minister inaugurating the project from Thiruvananthapuram, he and MLA A Raja could have done it at the venue.
"He is doing it from Thiruvananthapuram, while we came here, spending money on diesel. From now on, I should not be invited to such programs," Mani was heard saying in the video.
Later, Mani left the stage after expressing his displeasure without delivering the chief guest’s address.
Later, Cherian inaugurated the fish seed farm online. Speaking on the occasion, the minister said the project would help supply fish fingerlings to more dams in the district and strengthen fish production.
"This is a long-awaited moment for fish farmers in the district. Around 4,500 freshwater fish farmers in Idukki play a major role in the state’s fisheries economy," he said.
He added that earlier, fish seed had to be transported from distant districts, causing difficulties and high mortality during transport, resulting in losses for farmers.