Thiruvananthapuram: The Lok Kerala Sabha will no longer continue, Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan announced after the Cabinet meeting on Wednesday.
The decision marks a significant change in the government’s approach towards the platform that was introduced during the tenure of former Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan to bring together Malayali expatriates from different parts of the world.
The Lok Kerala Sabha was conceived as a platform to discuss issues concerning the global Malayali community and formulate policies aimed at addressing the concerns of expatriates.
₹25 crore spending under criticism
The initiative has faced political criticism over the years, particularly over the expenditure involved in organising its sessions and related programmes.
Political critics have alleged that around ₹25 crore was spent from the state exchequer on the Lok Kerala Sabha during the Pinarayi Vijayan government. Critics have also questioned whether such expenditure delivered sufficient benefits to ordinary expatriate Malayalis.
The figure and related expenditure claims should, however, be assessed against official government records and expenditure statements.
Allegations of excluding ordinary expatriates
Another major criticism against the Lok Kerala Sabha was that ordinary expatriates did not receive adequate representation.
Critics alleged that the platform gave greater prominence to wealthy expatriates, prominent personalities and influential sections of the diaspora, while the concerns of ordinary migrant workers and middle-class expatriates received comparatively less attention.
The Satheesan government’s decision to discontinue the Lok Kerala Sabha therefore comes against the backdrop of years of political debate over its structure, expenditure and effectiveness.
Focus to shift towards diaspora welfare
Rather than continuing the Lok Kerala Sabha in its previous format, the government is expected to give greater emphasis to direct welfare measures for expatriate Malayalis.
The decision indicates a possible shift from large-scale diaspora conferences towards targeted welfare initiatives and programmes aimed at addressing the practical concerns of expatriates and their families.
Questions over media coverage
The announcement has also triggered a political discussion about media coverage of the issue.
Critics have pointed out that journalists who had previously reported on controversies surrounding the Lok Kerala Sabha did not raise significant questions about the decision to discontinue the initiative during the Chief Minister’s post-Cabinet press conference.
The government’s decision effectively brings an end to a major initiative associated with the previous administration and opens a new chapter in Kerala’s diaspora policy.
The key question now is how the government will restructure its engagement with the global Malayali community and whether the funds previously spent on the Lok Kerala Sabha will instead be redirected towards concrete welfare programmes for expatriates.
