Leader of the Opposition Ramesh Chennithala has accused the Left Democratic Front (LDF) government of its failure to honour the commitment to protect the interests of expatriate Keralites.
Observing that many of the 103 Keralites who had succumbed to COVID-19 in Gulf countries were financially backward, he called for a special assistance package for their families. Mr. Chennithala was inaugurating a State-wide agitation by the UDF against the paid quarantine facilities for returned migrants.
He said the Chief Minister’s office was behind the scam involved in awarding the contract for BevQ, the virtual queue management system for liquor sales in the State. The selection process for the contract was mired in corruption, he said, daring Mr. Vijayan to prove his allegation wrong.
KPCC president Mullappally Ramachandran said the government was fleecing return migrants by charging fees for quarantine instead of offering solace to them.
Former Chief Minister Oommen Chandy said the government viewed expatriates as paying guests. “A fraction of the astronomical amount spent on the Loka Kerala Sabha will have been enough to provide free quarantine for them,” he said.
KPCC and DCC leaders and MLAs were present.
