Raised a total of Rs 5.28 crore, land purchased for 6.18 crore; Congress discloses collection details

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Congress has announced that it raised a total of Rs 5.28 crore for the rehabilitation of the disaster-affected people in Wayanad. Speaking at a press conference, KPCC president Sunny Joseph said that Rs 6.18 crore has been spent on purchasing land, and an additional Rs 73 lakh is required for registration. He also said that steps for house construction will continue, but did not provide details on how this would be carried out.

The fund collection drive had earlier drawn criticism against the party. Although leaders had repeatedly promised to build houses soon, even land purchase had not taken place for a long time. The land was acquired only recently, but no construction work has started yet.

The CPM, DYFI and SFI had demanded that the accounts of the collected funds be made public, both on social media and outside. There were also allegations that the funds collected by the Youth Congress were misused.

Responding to questions about whether collecting a relatively small amount indicated organisational failure, Sunny Joseph did not give a clear answer. He said the party’s strong organisational system is evident from its victories in parliamentary and local body elections. He also stated that the Kerala government is building a township using funds provided by various sources, including the Congress-led Karnataka government.