Congress criticises Kerala CM for wasting money on 'Keraleeyam 2023' festival

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Kerala Leader of Opposition (LoP) VD Satheesan on Friday slammed the Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan for spending Rs 27 crores on ‘Keraleeyam 2023’ -- a week long festival -- when the state is passing through worst ever financial crisis.

The Keraleeyam 2023 will start from November 1, Keralappiravi Day (Kerala Formation Day) will present all the achievements and cultural heritage of the state to the world.

“This wasteful expenditure comes at a time when the Vijayan government in the past seven months sanctioned a mere Rs 18 crores of its flagship project ‘Life Mission’ ( building homes for poorest of the poor), when according to the Plan (2023-24) they are supposed to hand over Rs 717 crores,” said Satheesan.

He said that the government has only given Rs 18 crores for Life Mission scheme but at the same time they (government) will waste Rs 27 crores within a week’s time.

“What’s going to actually happen is that even though the sanctioned amount is Rs 27 crores, they will end up by spending Rs 70 crores. The face of the Vijayan government has only been extravagance that too at a time when the state is passing through worst ever financial crisis period,” added Satheesan.

Apart from a cultural blitz, as many as 25 international seminars would be held with leading experts from India and abroad will arrive in the state. There will be 10 exhibitions showcasing the achievements of Kerala with the help of modern technology.