A political gaffe by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has pushed Kerala’s United Democratic Front (UDF) into a huge embarrassment after Wayanad MP praised Kerala government’s Loka Kerala Sabha summit which was earlier boycotted by Congress and its allies in Kerala.
According to the reports, the Congress-led United Democratic Front had earlier decided to boycott the upcoming Loka Kerala Sabha, the event held by the state government to bring Keralites living around the globe under one platform.
However, in a letter dated December 12, Rahul Gandhi, who is also MP from Kerala’s Wayanad, lauded the gathering, calling it a “great platform” to connect with the Indian diaspora.
“I congratulate the members of the Malayalee diaspora for their phenomenal success, and for being worthy ambassadors of the State. The Loka Kerala Sabha is a great platform to connect with the diaspora and recognise their contribution,” read the letter written by Rahul Gandhi.
The official Twitter handle of chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan posted Gandhi’s letter on Thursday.
Thank you Shri. Rahul Gandhi for your warm greetings to the Loka Kerala Sabha (@LokaKeralaSabha).
In his message, @RahulGandhi opined that “the Loka Kerala Sabha is a great platform to connect with the diaspora, and recognize their contribution.” pic.twitter.com/3G4KYMSllc
— CMO Kerala (@CMOKerala) January 2, 2020
Rahul Gandhi’s letter supporting the event comes at a time when UDF has boycotted the event alleging that the event turned out to be an extravaganza where the government is spending huge money amidst the financial crisis. The opposition UDF also alleged that none of the decisions taken in the first edition of the Loka Kerala Sabha has been implemented till now by the LDF government.
Reportedly, Leader of Opposition Ramesh Chennithala had quit as the LKS vice-president in June 2019 to protest against the suicide of two businessmen, Sajan Parayil from Kannur and Sugathan from Punalur. The two were allegedly denied administrative clearance from the side of government for their expensive constructions.
The UDF was also annoyed over the expenditure on renovating the venue of the Loka Kerala Sabha, the R Sankara Narayanan Thampi Hall in the Kerala Legislative Assembly complex in Thiruvananthapuram.
The Loka Kerala Sabha is one of the largest convergence of NRI business people from Kerala. It has participants from across 47 countries apart from delegates from 21 states. The second edition of the three-day meet concludes on Friday.
