Ker CPM shuns austerity;party meet expense to touch Rs 10 cr

Kozhikode (Kerala), Apr 6: With the CPM party congress currently underway in Kozhikode in Kerala that kicked off from Apr 4 and runs till 9th of April, the occasion is seeing an extravagance that is a rarity in events like these especially when it is conducted by a party known for its austere ways.

The six day event has events that makes it on par with any other corporate event. A football tournament with a Rs 1.6 crore budget, a comrade’s march consisting of 25,000 red volunteers and a whopping five lakh people expected to turn up at the final day. Apart from this, there are also plans for a history exhibition, film festival and a national volleyball tournament. The organizers want to make sure that the once in three years occasion is something worth remembering for years to come.

A rough estimate of the event has been calculated at Rs 10 crore with the figure expected to rise if the preparatory work for the event is also taken into consideration. The organizers are refusing the actual expenses for the event.

The event is seeing a glaring display of lavishness with 60 big sculptures, over 400 graffiti, hundreds of flex boards, thousands of banners and countless party flags in the city.

TP Dasan, vice chairman of the Organizing Committee was quick to refute the allegations of extravaganza stating that the party had undertaken a fund collection drive with mass public participation. He added, “We have just completed a mass resource mobilization campaign in which party members, supporters and well-wishers contributed to make the party congress in Kozhikode a grand success. Thousands of workers have contributed a day's salary as contribution.”

OneIndia News