Oppn leader claims corruption, ‘loot of crores’ by Kerala govt; flags delay in FIR against ex-MLA

Leader of Opposition in the State Assembly V D Satheesan on Friday launched a scathing attack on Kerala's ruling LDF government, accusing it of ''corruption, looting public funds'' and shielding party leaders and sympathisers facing criminal charges. Referring to recent audit findings related to the Global Ayyappa Sangam held last year, Satheesan alleged that they exposed ''corruption'' and the ''loot of crores'' by the ruling dispensation. The Kerala High Court on Wednesday observed that there were several issues and ''serious inconsistencies'' in the audit report of the Global Ayyappa Sangam and sought explanations from the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) as well as the Kerala State Audit Department. The Opposition leader alleged that a large amount of government funds was spent on putting up posters featuring the chief minister's image across the state in connection with the event. ''They (LDF) are on their way out and are looting everything they can lay their hands on as they go,'' he claimed while speaking to reporters. Satheesan also raised concerns over the delay in registering an FIR against former MLA P T Kunju Muhammed following a sexual harassment complaint submitted to the chief minister by a woman filmmaker. He claimed that the case was registered more than two weeks after the CM received the complaint. ''Why this different attitude towards those close to the government? Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan heads the home department. He received the complaint and must explain why there was a delay,'' Satheesan said. ''Such things should not happen in Kerala,'' he added. Police recently filed a charge sheet in the case against Kunju Muhammed, according to reports.