The Opposition UDF is boycotting a week-long Formation Day jamboree as well as people's assemblies to be held in all Assembly constituencies using state funds.
Football great IM Vijayan at a Keraleeyam promotional event in Thiruvananthapuram. (Supplied)
A cash-strapped Kerala is set for a week-long celebration of the state’s Formation Day from 1 November, drawing criticism from the Opposition Congress, which has decided to boycott the cultural extravaganza — barring a book fair.
The government plans to showcase to the world the state government’s achievements and its rich cultural heritage at the expense of the exchequer.
The capital city, Thiruvananthapuram, will host about 25 international seminars attended by experts and intellectuals who have studied Kerala as part of the festival — Keraleeyam-2023. Apart from highlighting the state’s achievements, the seminars will also discuss a roadmap for Kerala’s future.
Besides the seminars, about 10 exhibitions displaying Kerala’s achievements will also be held at various locations in the city.
Art and cultural programmes, trade fairs, a flower show, a food festival, and a light-and-sound show are also planned in the city where historical monuments and other buildings would be illuminated. The programmes will shed light on the state’s past, present, and future.
The state Assembly’s book festival, which was organised successfully last time in the legislature building complex, will be held again as part of Keraleeyam. The Formation Day celebrations have relatively been low-key affairs in the previous years.
The Opposition felt the celebrations are being planned with an eye on the upcoming Lok Sabha polls next year.
The logo of Keraleeyam designed by noted artist Bose Krishnamachari. (Supplied)
Sensing a political motive behind the celebrations, the Congress-led Opposition UDF decided to boycott the whole festival, barring the book fair. The Congress accused the Pinarayi Vijayan government of splurging money even as the state is mired deep in debt.
According to KPCC president K Sudhakaran, the Vijayan administration is planning the spectacle to hide its administrative inefficiencies and other flaws.
The Opposition alleged that the events are being planned in such a way that public funds will be diverted to committees comprising the ruling party’s members.
The Keraleeyam organising committee, as well as sub-committees, are CPI(M)-controlled, they said. Opposition Leader VD Satheesan said the CPI (M) will benefit from the event in two ways: Financially, by allotting public money to various CPI(M)-controlled committees, and using the event for political gains.
He stated that no government in the state’s history has failed as miserably as the current dispensation. All welfare schemes, including special security pensions and mid-day meals for schoolchildren, are under threat, and nepotism has failed thousands of job aspirants.
“This jamboree is taking place at a time many public sector organisations are on the verge of shutting down and athletes are quitting the state in droves in search of better opportunities. They are adorning a capital city where a day’s rain practically drowned the entire area due to the lack of any water discharge mechanism,” he stated.
Meanwhile, the chief minister explained that the event is being planned in response to the requests of non-resident Keralites, who wish to participate in the Formation Day celebrations.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. (Sourced)
He proposed that the event will be planned in such a way that individuals from all around the world could attend. It will also boost tourism significantly, he told a recent press conference.
The chief minister said the programme will be nonpareil and it will display the state’s capabilities and potential to the rest of the globe. He saw nothing wrong in spending a lot of money to hold a big event to highlight the state’s growth and cultural traditions.
“The event’s theme will be sustainability and environmental protection. Installations and engravings should be done in a way that raises public awareness about these issues,” Vijayan added.
Meanwhile, the administration will also shell out around ₹200 crore to hold Jana Sadas (People’s Assembly) in all Assembly constituencies. The chief minister and his Cabinet of ministers will attend the sadas.
Though the Finance Department has set a cap on expenses over ₹5 lakh, it will not affect the planned programmes. An order to release funds has been issued.
To cut costs, a directive has been issued to find sponsors for Keraleeyam. Various departments have also been instructed to spend money from their reserves.
The chief minister and ministers will have breakfast with prominent personalities in each constituency before proceeding to other events during the Jana Sadas to be held from 18 November to 24 December.
All 21 ministers, including the chief minister, are likely to ride in a single vehicle. Every Wednesday, the chief secretary will visit the tour site for the Cabinet meeting.
The tour will be the government’s version of the election campaign.
In response to the Opposition’s boycott threat, the chief minister claimed that the Opposition has a long history of rejecting the beneficial projects of the LDF government.
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