Kerala Opposition Leader says UDF never campaigned against making contributions to CMDRF

Kerala’s Leader of the Opposition V.D. Satheesan connected Saturday (January 17, 2026) said the societal media run that the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) dissuaded radical from making contributions to the Chief Minister’s Distress Relief Fund (CMDRF) was “a blatant lie.”

Speaking to the media successful Kochi, Mr. Satheesan said UDF MLAs, including him, unsocial had contributed ₹19 lakh to the money successful the aftermath of the devastating landslides successful Wayanad.

Responding to allegations of deficiency of transparency successful the funds collected by the UDF to physique a township for families who mislaid their homes successful the landslides, Mr. Satheesan said the funds were successful a associated relationship of the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president and the Leader of the Opposition. “It took a twelvemonth for the authorities to place the onshore for gathering a township. It was besides said that onshore would not beryllium provided to america for gathering houses. After that, we identified a onshore parcel and got it registered. The wealth for gathering the houses is successful our associated account. But the CPI(M) cyber handles are spreading the prevarication that the wealth has been misappropriated,” helium said.

Mr. Satheesan reiterated that the Congress authorities successful Karnataka handed implicit ₹20 crore to the Kerala authorities to physique 100 houses, and that works connected 100 houses being built by the Indian Union Muslim League, a cardinal UDF partner, were progressing. “Is determination thing factually incorrect successful what I said?” Mr. Satheesan asked.

He alleged that the authorities has defaulted connected outgo of rental assistance and aesculapian expenses to respective affected families “despite having ₹742 crore” for the rehabilitation of the landslide victims.

Slams CM

Mr. Satheesan alleged that Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan “kept peddling communal narratives” astatine the valedictory league of the Kerala Yatra run organised by the Kerala Muslim Jamaat and led by Sunni person Kanthapuram A.P. Aboobacker Musliyar.

“The Chief Minister and the CPI(M) person been adopting the aforesaid strategy of triggering clashes betwixt spiritual and caste groups to deduce governmental benefit. Then if helium makes gangly claims of secularism, aren’t we expected to respond?” helium asked.

Mr. Satheesan said the allegations against the precocious Congress person and erstwhile Travancore Devaswom Board president Prayar Gopalakrishnan were aimed astatine “belittling the gravity” of the alleged golden theft from the Sabarimala temple.