Satheesan government rules out sixth Loka Kerala Sabha amid UDF row

The Kerala government ruled out holding a sixth Loka Kerala Sabha in the format followed by the previous LDF regime. The Chief Minister's Office said no funds were earmarked for the sixth edition, while NORKA-led expatriate welfare programmes will continue

Thiruvananthapuram: The V D Satheesan government has ruled out holding the Loka Kerala Sabha in the format followed by the previous LDF government, making it clear that there is no change in the UDF government’s decision to discontinue the platform in its existing form.

The Chief Minister’s Office said in a statement on Monday that organising the Loka Kerala Sabha in the manner in which it was conducted during the LDF government was not under the government’s consideration.

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It also clarified that not a single rupee has been earmarked for the sixth edition of the Loka Kerala Sabha in the coming financial year.

The clarification came amid reports of differing views within the ruling front and media reports on Monday suggesting that Satheesan had backed out of the stand he had taken as Leader of the Opposition.

The Loka Kerala Sabha was conceived as a common forum for expatriate Malayalis to participate in discussions on Kerala’s development and issues concerning the diaspora. However, the then Congress-led UDF Opposition had stayed away from the event during the tenure of former Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.

“The decision that the Loka Kerala Sabha will not continue is a political decision of the UDF. There is no change in it,” the Chief Minister’s Office said.

The government, however, clarified that this does not mean programmes relating to expatriate welfare or engagement with the diaspora are being discontinued.

The Loka Kerala Sabha Secretariat already has an office, and funds have been provided for its administrative expenses, the statement said.

Funds have also been earmarked for programmes conducted through NORKA, including business leadership meets and other initiatives involving expatriate Keralites.

The government said the welfare of expatriates remained one of its primary areas of focus. The allocation is also intended to meet preliminary expenses involved in implementing proposals relating to expatriate welfare, it said.

The Loka Kerala Sabha had become a major political flashpoint during the previous government, with the UDF, then in Opposition, repeatedly accusing the LDF of spending public money on an extravagant event. Satheesan had also strongly criticised the platform, and the UDF had boycotted its official sessions.

The fifth edition was held in Thiruvananthapuram in January, with more than 500 delegates representing 125 countries and 28 Indian states participating. The UDF stayed away from the event.

The latest government clarification rules out a sixth edition in the format followed by the LDF government, while leaving scope for engagement with expatriate Malayalis through NORKA programmes and other welfare-oriented mechanisms.