Leader of the Opposition V. D. Satheesan said the 20 paise per unit hike on electricity tariff was the last straw that would break the back of ordinary families reeling under the grip of a cost of living crisis.
Mr. Satheesan said the government had further alienated people frustrated and angry about high fuel prices and increased water cess and property tax. He said rising electricity bills would compound inflation and exact a financial toll on family budgets and businesses.
Mr. Satheesan said the government’s corruption and extravagance had run the Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) to financial ruin. “Seven years of Pinarayi Vijayan’s rule had seen KSEB’s debt increase exponentially from ₹1,083 crores to ₹40,000 crores,” he said.
The Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) Opposition alleged corruption in the government’s questionable decision to scrap enduring and credible power-purchase agreements with suppliers only to sign new contracts to procure electricity from private players in the energy sector at higher rates.
“The dubious decision cost the public exchequer ₹1,500 crores,” Mr. Satheesan said. The Opposition has demanded an anti-corruption inquiry into the controversial decision.
Mr. Satheesan said the government sought to burn a hole in the pockets of ordinary people by asking them to pick the tab for the KSEB’s loot and mismanagement.
The government splurged crores on propaganda exercises like the week-long Keraleeyam festival when the State was in a severe financial crisis.
The treasury was bone dry. Civic works have stopped because the government had no money to compensate public work contractors, he alleged.
Due to a paucity of funds, the government struggled to underwrite noon meals for school students. The government has not disbursed social welfare payments of Rs 246 crores to an estimated 28,586 families since 2020, Mr. Satheesan said.
He said the government had admitted in the High Court that the State was in a deep financial crisis and could not provide government guarantees to depositors who invested in public sector financial institutions.
Mr. Satheesan said Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had painted a rosy picture of Left Democratic Front government to a set of foreign guests who attended the Keraleeyam festival inauguration. However, the lie would not pass muster with voters.
Mr. Satheesan demanded that the government publish a White Paper detailing the State’s financial situation. The UDF would hold political conventions in 140 legislative assembly constituencies to expose the LDF’s shenanigans.
