Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan
By Shankar Raj*
Thiruvananthapuram: A day after Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan ‘vanished’ on a holiday with his family including his daughter Veena Vijayan and her husband Mohamed Riyas and relatives, without informing the Governor or cabinet colleagues, a controversy broke out in the State on who is financing the 19-day sojourn in three countries – Indonesia, Singapore and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
Congress leader K Sudhakaran lashed out at the Chief Minister for going on a secret vacation at a time when the state is reeling under an unprecedented heat wave and serious financial crisis.
“Who is sponsoring the CM visit with family? Why is he afraid to reveal the sponsors of the trip,” he asked while addressing the media.
“The Chief Minister is on a dubious trip and why is he keeping it so secret unless he has something to hide? I strongly believe that there is a sponsor for his trip. Only Pinarayi Vijayan can make such a trip at this crucial time,” he said.
Union Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan asked Vijayan’s political party, the Communist Party of India – Marxist (CPI-M), to clarify on expenses for the trip. “He (Chief Minister Vijayan) is duty-bound to explain whether his private visit is sponsored or met from his pocket. If it is a sponsored visit, then he should tell who is the sponsor. If not, he should explain the source of his income,” he said.
“It’s really strange that when people in Kerala are reeling under a never before seen heatwave, the chief minister and his family are enjoying themselves at beach destinations,” he added.
Left Front convenor EP Jayarajan responded by saying that the Chief Minister need not beat a drum and inform everyone on where and why he is going. “He has informed the party and that is enough,” he said.
On Pinarayi not attending election campaigns in other states, Jayarajan said it was the party that takes a call on who goes where. “There is no need for a controversy over the chief minister’s trip. He has not flouted any norm and his trip is not illegal. We know what to decide and what to do. There is no need for making it public,” he said.
Meanwhile, an online Cabinet meeting that was to be held today was cancelled without assigning any reason. The Chief Minister has not given charge to any of his Cabinet colleagues to run the government in his absence.
The CM’s visit comes when the state is grappling with the worst drought conditions in 40 years. A prolonged dry spell, parched farmlands, dried-up rivers and dams and wilted crops are what God’s Own Country is. The water level in reservoirs has depleted to worrying levels and villages in north Kerala have been hit by worsening water scarcity.
The state is also reeling under a deep financial crisis. Social security pension has not been disbursed for four months, and the road transport corporation drivers, conductors and staff have not been paid salaries for three months. Incidentally, Transport Minister Ganesh Kumar has also gone on a foreign trip.
“The CM and family are on a holiday spending lakhs of rupees while the people of the state are suffering”, said 63-year-old Thankamani who has not received her pension for four months. “How do I survive?” she asks.
*Shankar Raj is a former editor of The New Indian Express, Karnataka and Kerala, and writes regularly on current affairs.
