THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Senior Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala has accused Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan of using his Middle East tour as a political exercise rather than a development initiative, alleging that the trip is to serve party interests ahead of upcoming polls. “The chief minister’s objective is not to mobilise resources or promote development but to advance his party’s political goals ahead of the elections,” Chennithala said here on Saturday. He alleged that the state treasury was being drained to fund the lavish foreign tour.
According to reports, the chief minister’s itinerary includes visits to Dubai, Bahrain, Qatar and Oman. Although Saudi Arabia was also on the list, Central clearance for that leg of the trip is still pending. Chennithala alleged that given Pinarayi Vijayan’s proximity to the Prime Minister and the Union Home Minister, approval was likely to come through soon.
He further alleged that the visit was part of a political strategy rather than an effort to attract investments. “From 2016 to 2025, the chief minister and his team have reportedly undertaken around 25 foreign trips, but none has yielded tangible benefits for the state,” Chennithala said.
Citing information received through a Right to Information request, he pointed out that KSIDC had confirmed that no MoUs were signed during any of the previous trips, and not a single rupee of investment had come to Kerala as a result. “It’s clear even to small children that this trip is not aimed at achieving what hasn’t been accomplished in the past nine-and-a-half years but has an entirely different purpose,” Chennithala said.