"Utterly wasteful and corrupt," K Sudhakaran on lavish inauguration of renovated Travancore Palace

Thiruvananthapuram: In a direct attack on the LDF government, KPCC President K Sudhakaran on Sunday criticized the state for spending Rs 40 lakhs for the inauguration ceremony of the renovated Travancore Palace in Delhi. 

“When the state is reeling from a terrible financial crisis, and people are struggling to make ends meet, the government's decision to allocate Rs 40 lakhs for the inauguration of the renovated Travancore Palace in Delhi seems utterly wasteful and corrupt," Sudhakaran said. He added that such events are hosted solely to sing the Chief Minister's praises in Delhi. 

"Furthermore, illegal appointments and promotions are being made in the Kerala House for political reasons. The CPM appoints the majority of class 3 and 4 staff, and many received promotions to gazetted posts like protocol officer, liaison officer, housekeeping manager, and so forth. This is against the law," he said.

"Even though the citizens have been thrown into a financial crisis due to gross mismanagement, there is no shortage of lavishing spending, corruption, and luxury by the government. There is no limit to the amount spent on things like constructing stables and elevators at the CM's residence, purchasing expensive automobiles, renovating swimming pools and ministers travelling abroad with their families," he said. 

Sudhakaran also pointed out that the latest example of this extravagance is the inauguration of the Travancore Palace, with an estimated cost amounting to lakhs. "These events are taking place as KSRTC staff protest against being denied their salaries and pensions. 13 social security initiatives that must be implemented immediately are indefinitely on hold due to a lack of funding from the government."

"People are suffering due to the hike in prices of basic necessities like rice. Supplyco, which is intended to be a market intermediary, has nearly completely ceased functioning. Crores are owed for paddy stock procurement from farmers," he opined.

"Meanwhile, Kerala's public debt has reached historically high levels. According to an RBI study, the public debt amounts to Rs 3.90 lakh crores. According to the state government's economic study, Kerala's domestic debt grew by 10.67% in 2021-22 compared to the previous year," he said.