Wayanad relief fund scam sets political tone in last lap of electioneering in Kerala Assembly polls

The controversy over the relief funds collected for the housing project for landslide-hit residents of Wayanad has become a major political talking point in Kerala, with just three days remaining before the crucial Assembly polls.

The Congress has found itself on the defensive, as the CPI (M) has sought the details of the funds collected by the party and its utilisation. In response, KPCC president Sunny Joseph presented a hurriedly prepared statement on fund collection, which left many questions unanswered and seemed only to compound the party’s troubles. Social media is abuzz with criticism and satire regarding the handling of funds.

The issue began with an innocuous demand by Raju. P. Nair, a Congress spokesperson, during a TV channel debate, asking for details of the funds collected by the CPI (M) for the Wayanad victims. The CPI (M), which released its fund collection details within a span of 30 minutes, hit back at the Congress.

M. Swaraj, the State secretariat member of the CPI (M), launched a blistering counterattack by asking the Congress to present before the public the funds it mobilised for the relief works. He held two back-to-back press conferences, which pressured the KPCC president to present the figures — reportedly scribbled on a sheet of paper — at a subsequent press conference.

The Congress leader’s statement that the party has spent the funds for the purchase of land, related activities, and development of an application for fund mobilisation, and that it will have to find new resources for the construction of the promised houses gave more ammunition to the ruling front.

Describing the developments as the “biggest loot by a political party under the pretext of a rehabilitation mission,” Mr. Swaraj said the Congress always tried to cash in on disasters. “It’s not the first time that Congress is looting the money it reportedly raised for supporting the victims of natural disasters. It siphoned off the funds that were collected from the general public to support the flood-hit people of Kerala. That time the party had promised to build 1,000 homes for the affected persons. Not even one house was built by the party. Unlike the Wayanad fund case, the flood fund scam was not debated much,” he alleged.

Mr. Swaraj said the KPCC president was forced to come up with a statement on the Wayanad funds following the mounting public pressure. He added that while the party may have raised a significant amount for relief work, it was unlikely to be the Rs. 6 crore reported, and demanded that Congress disclose how much it raised independently, aside from contributions from its service organisations and the Youth Congress

At the same time, Mr. Nair came in defence of the Congress by stating that the CPI (M) was resorting to a diversionary tactic by raising baseless allegations against the Congress on the funds issue though the party has come out with a convincing statement on the money collected so far and its utilisation.

“The CPI (M) is in vain attempting to raise false allegations to downplay the public enthusiasm generated by the five promises and five guarantees made by the UDF,” defended Mr. Nair.

“The CPI (M) is duty-bound to explain its collection and utilisation of funds. The party is spreading falsehood and an organised cover-up of the anomalies in its fund collection by spreading misleading statements about the funds raised by the Congress. The CPI (M)’s statement on funds is marred by ambiguity. It also lacks transparency and probity, which stands exposed,” alleged Mr. Nair, adding that he had raised seven questions to the CPI (M) on Wayanad rehabilitation and funds mobilisation in a social media post.

The CPI (M) was quick to include the Wayanad fund issue in its door-to-door campaign and corner meetings while highlighting what it termed as the development initiatives of the LDF government.