IDUKKI: The 12th state Conference of Bank Employees Federation of India(BEFI) being held in Thodupuzha has turned controversial as 450 bank employees from across the state who are supposed to be working in their respective banks to mitigate the problems being faced by the common people following the demonetization drive are away for the meet.
BJP state secretary K Surendran first raised the issue which was later supported by former chief minister Oommen Chandy and other Congress leaders.Meanwhile, CITU general secretary Elamaram Kareem who inaugurated the meet said the bank employees cannot be blamed for the trouble caused to the people by the BJP Government. He said the programme was scheduled months before and all the arrangements were done for thesame.
The BEFI state conference will not affect the day-to-day functioning of the banks. Higher bank officials are keeping away from the meet and those who are raising allegations are not aware of the fact, he added.BEFI general secretary C J Nandakumar also said not all delegates are participating in the meet to avoid any difficult situation and that in case of any emergency, banks can call back their employees at any time. The three-day meet began on Saturday at Sheron Cultural Centre in Thodupuzha.