Kerala CM turns 78; leaders extend greetings

Thiruvananthapuram, May 24 (PTI): Birthday greetings for Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan trickled in from leaders cutting across political lines, as he turned 78 on Wednesday.
However, there were no formal birthday celebrations in the state to mark the day. Vijayan continued with his official work as usual on the day, sources close to him said.
“The day is also significant as it completed seven years as Chief Minister of the state,” they told PTI.

Vijayan, a member of the CPI(M) politburo, has been serving as Kerala CM since May 25, 2016. There is no celebration, as always, to mark the birthday, sources added.
People from various walks of life including political figures took to social media to extend their birthday greetings to the Kerala CM.Senior BJP leader and Union Minister Nitin Gadkari, in a tweet, wished Vijayan good health and long life.

“Birthday greetings to the Chief Minister of Kerala Shri @pinarayivijayan ji. May you be blessed with good health and long life,” he tweeted.Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin tweeted in Malayalam to extend the wishes. In the tweet, Stalin called Vijayan as “dear comrade” and wished him a long life and health.

He also said Vijayan is the leader who scripts the success story of Kerala through his comprehensive efforts. Malayalam superstar Mammootty, who is close to Vijayan, shared a photo of him with the CM in his Facebook and wished him happy birthday.
State PWD minister and Vijayan’s son-in-law P A Muhammed Riyas also took to social media to extend greetings on the day.In his FB post, Riyas described him as “comrade” and posted a photo of the Chief Minister.