Defying the State Congress leadership’s request to not participate in a seminar organised as part of the Kerala government’s Keraleeyam celebrations, veteran Congress Leader and former Union Minister Mani Shankar Aiyar spoke at the event on November 4, 2023.
The former Union Minister of Panchayati Raj said that he was participating in the seminar on local governance as a tribute to former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi under whose tenure the 73rd Constitutional Amendment to introduce Panchayati Raj was first enacted.
The local Congress leadership is boycotting the week-long Keraleeyam event, accusing the Kerala government of splurging money and resources for the event when the State is deep in debt.
