Thiruvananthapuram, June 25 (IANS): Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan is following in the footsteps of Prime Minister Narendra Modi by keeping the media away, state Congress president V.M. Sudheeran said on Saturday.

Sudheeran, interacting with the media here, said: "It's somewhat strange that Vijayan is for some unknown reason not showing up before the media".

"I can speak from the early 1970s when we entered politics, and from that time I have seen chief ministers interacting with the media at least once a week and that too after the weekly cabinet meeting. But Vijayan is not doing it," said Sudheeran.

On May 25 Vijayan was sworn in as the new Chief Minister of the state, and after the first cabinet meeting held that day, he met with the media. Since then he has not held any post cabinet briefing.

"We are all surprised at the way that he has kept away from the media. We have always believed that the Chief Minister is answerable to the people, and that is done through the media. We have only one thing to say, that this new practise is not good, especially in a state like Kerala," said Sudheeran.

Vijayan's predecessor Oommen Chandy had always been ready to answer questions from the press at any time.