CPI declines to comment on Kerala CM's praise of Kim Jong-un

The CPI today declined to comment on Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan's statement on North Korean leader Kim Jong-un but said Pyongyang is facing threat from the US for the past few decades.
Vijayan, a veteran CPI-M leader, had lavished praise on the North Korean leader for taking on the US. The CPI is a junior ally in the CPI-M-led government in Kerala.
When asked about Vijayan's statement, Communist Party of India (CPI) General Secretary S Sudhakar Reddy said there was no need to approve or disapprove it.
"I don't like to comment on Vijayan's statement. Why should I approve or disapprove (his statement)," Reddy told PTI.

"But what I feel is there is a lot of pressure by the US on North Korea. Unfortunately, by putting a lot of Army and South Korea (against the North), and continuously threatening for five-six decades...(by the US)...
"So, now, it's a life and death battle for them (North Korea). It's Americans who are responsible for this type of reactions from North Korean leaders," he said.

Addressing a CPI(M) district committee meet in Kozhikode on Wednesday, Vijayan had praised the North Korean leader for putting up a "tough" resistance against "imperialist" America better than the Communist-ruled China.
Vijayan had also said there was a general criticism that China's fight against imperialist forces was not living up to the expectations of people.

"North Korea has been adopting a tough anti-US stand. North Korea has successfully withstood the pressure exerted by the US," the Kerala Chief Minister had said.
Reddy, however, expressed the view that North Korea and China are in "different positions", hinting the resistance against America by the two countries cannot be compared.
"They (China) are not having that big pressure from America (compared to North Korea)," Reddy said, noting their "par" status being members of the UN Security Council.
"So, their (China's) case is different. North Korean case is a different type of thing.
"It is the Americans who should take the initiative to clear doubts that North Korea will not be attacked. (Then) these complications and this atmosphere (of hostility) can be reduced," he said.

Kim, in his New Year's Day address, said North Korea's nuclear weapons can reach anywhere in the US and threatened that he has a nuclear button on his desk.
Hitting back, US President Donald Trump on Wednesday warned that his "nuclear button" is "much bigger and more powerful" than the one controlled by Kim as the White House said it was keeping all its options on the table to curb Pyongyang's missile and atomic programmes.