Despite the Opposition Congress and the BJP flaying the sponsorship model for an NRI meeting in the US to be attended by Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, CPM leadership accused the Opposition of being jealous.
CPM senior leader A K Balan said that the government was not collecting any funds from NRIs. The organisers of the event were inviting sponsorship. He also said that the sponsorship model would give relief to the cash strapped exchequer from the financial obligations for the event. The Opposition was jealous over the initiatives of the CPM government for NRIs.
The row is over the US edition of the Loka Kerala Sabha (LKS), a body of Malayali NRIs that was initiated by the CPM government in Kerala to discuss issues of Malayali NRIs. A meeting of the LKS New York will be held from June 9 to 11. A state delegation led by the chief minister will be attending.
The local organisers have issued various types of sponsorships in the range of $ one lakh to $ 25,000. Those buying the high rated passes could share dais with the chief minister and have dinner with VIPs.
The Opposition Congress and BJP had strongly flayed it. Congress demanded the chief minister to keep off from the event.
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