Thiruvananthapuram | Keralam Chief Minister V D Satheesan on Monday said the UDF government had not changed its political decision to discontinue the Loka Kerala Sabha in the form in which it was held under the previous LDF administration.
The state government was not considering organising the Loka Kerala Sabha as it was done during the time of the LDF government, Satheesan said in a statement.
Loka Kerala Sabha (LKS) is a platform created by the Keralam government for the cultural, socio-political and economic integration of the Non-Resident Keralites across the world with their home state.
Satheesan's statement comes in the wake of reports that the UDF government has taken a u-turn and decided to hold the Loka Kerala Sabha, which it had criticised and boycotted when the Left was in power.
The CM said that the government has not allocated a single rupee for the sixth edition of the Loka Kerala Sabha.
He said that the Loka Kerala Sabha Secretariat currently has an office and funds have been allocated only for its administrative expenses and for certain programmes, including the Business Leadership Meet organised through the Non-Resident Keralites Affairs (NORKA) department.
"Expatriate welfare schemes are a matter of top priority for the government. Funds have also been allocated for the initial work of implementing such proposals," he added.
State Electricity Minister and Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) chief Sunny Joseph said there was no 'u-turn' on the part of the government on the issue.
"There is a right turn. By right, I mean a correct turn. The government is considering incorporating its good aspects by avoiding the extravagance associated with it. A decision has not yet been taken," he told reporters.
He claimed that the UDF was not opposed to the idea of the LKS; it was only against the extravagant manner in which it was held.
The KPCC chief said that funds have been allocated to the LKS in a manner to avoid any extravagance or unnecessary activities including advertising it.
"Crores (of rupees) were spent on its preparations in the past. We had not opposed its name or the idea behind it. We were against the manner in which it was held. It would be good to include the LKS members and Keralites across the world in the development and progress of Keralam," he said.
