Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president K. Sudhakaran accused Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and his family of piggybacking on public funds for junkets in foreign countries.
The row over the European tour of Ministers also found resonance on social media, with scores of posts trolling the photograph of Mr. Vijayan and others in front of Karl Marx’s tomb in Highgate cemetery at North London in England finding online traction.
Mr. Vijayan's family are seen posing alongside General Education Minister V. Sivankutty, Industries Minister P. Rajeeve, and NoRKA vice chairman P. Sreeramakrishnan at the Marx memorial.
Purpose of tour
Mr. Vijayan is on the final leg of his European tour to woo foreign investment, harness modern technology for maritime development, study the famed Finland model of school education, and interact with Malayali expatriates in Europe.
Mr. Sudhakaran said Mr. Vijayan's previous foreign tour, presumably to study flood mitigation and river management, had yielded no tangible benefit for Kerala.
Earlier, Mr. Sudhakaran had alleged that Ministers were touring luxurious foreign destinations when the State's financial situation was shaky. Kerala's monthly expenditure, pegged at ₹14,500 crore, had exceeded ₹15,000 crore post Onam.
Mr. Sudhakaran had also theorised that Kerala might slip into overdraft since the government's spending had grossly exceeded its revenue. Mr. Sudhakaran had accused Mr. Vijayan of being unconcerned.
In defence of tours
Earlier, Finance Minister K.N. Balagopal had defended the foreign tours. Kerala was not an impoverished State, he said. They were essential for Kerala’s development. “The State is a ₹10 lakh crore economy and a booming market,” he said.
CPI(M) State secretary M.V. Govindan had also defended the tours. He said they were imperative for Kerala's development. He said official tours made no dent in the State's public finances. Indeed, they opened avenues to increase revenue by ushering in fast-paced development.
Mr. Vijayan had pointed out that foreign tours had resulted in the setting up of Technopark in Thiruvananthapuram. He said the London Loka Kerala Sabha regional conference did not entail any State expenditure.
