THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The LDF government has come under flak from the Opposition over the third edition of the Loka Kerala Sabha (LKS) scheduled to be held on June 17 and 18 in Thiruvananthapuram which they allege is steeped in corruption. The UDF has urged the LDF government to avoid opulence and only then would they cooperate with the LKS.
In the last LKS held in early 2020, the Opposition had boycotted it under the aegis of the then Opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala. He had quit as the LKS vice-president in June 2019 to protest against the deaths by suicide of two businessmen, Sajan Parayil, of Kannur, and Sugathan, of Punalur.The two were allegedly denied administrative clearance by the authorities concerned for their business constructions.
The previous Opposition was also irked over the expenditure on renovating the venue of the Loka Kerala Sabha, the R Sankara Narayanan Thampi Hall, in the Kerala Legislative Assembly complex in Thiruvananthapuram.But this time when the chief minister held an online meeting with the Opposition and other stakeholders, Opposition leader V D Satheesan informed that the UDF will cooperate with the LKS under three conditions.
“Firstly, the event should avoid unwanted expenses. Secondly, we want to know the strides the state has made in the last two sessions of LKS. The pravasi organisations under the Congress should also be invited to the LKS”, said Satheesan. On Saturday, Cherian Philip, who had spent two decades in the CPM and recently returned to the Congress, alleged that the total expenditure envisaged towards the LKS was Rs 3 crore. He claimed that only a handful of pravasi organisations owing allegiance to the Congress have been invited.
“It is the tainted lot in the gold smuggling case who are the main organisers of the LKS. This amount is towards flight expenses and food and accommodation of the delegates. Compared to previous two editions of LKS, this is also no different, said Cherian Philip.