By IANS,
Thiruvananthapuram : The asset base of the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) is the people, a senior party leader said Thursday to questions about the growing assets of the party, including the six-storey building of the party journal to be inaugurated Saturday.
“It is the support of the people that has enabled us in all our endeavours. And our asset base is the increasing number of people whp support us. And it is our detractors who spread canards about us,” the party’s central committee member E.P.Jayarajan told reporters here.
The CPI-M has come under attack for its increasing asset base, which includes an amusement park, a hospital and other establishments located across the state. In March, the party-supported Kairali TV moved into its own twin-tower building, located next door to the legislators’ home here.
The latest addition will be the state of the art, swanky six-storey building of Deshabhimani in the heart of the city, to be inaugurated by CPI-M general secretary Prakash Karat.
Despite repeated questions, Jayarajan failed to tell the total cost of the new building, nor did he give the original estimate of the project.
“Look, we are in the process of calculating the total cost and there has been a cost overrun also, because of the increase in the price of materials. We will tell you everything once we calculate it,” he said.
The new building would also house the most modern press as well function as the headquarters of Deshabhimani, which currently has nine editions – seven in the state and one each from Bangalore and Bahrain.
“We have plans to start an edition from every district in the state,” said Jayarajan.