Thiruvananthapuram, Aug 15 The Congress in Kerala has demanded that Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan publicly account for the outcomes of his frequent foreign trips, after RTI revelations showed no investment agreements were signed during such visits over the past decade.
KPCC organisational general secretary M. Liju said on Friday that the CM “owes the people an explanation” following disclosures that directly contradict his repeated claims in the Legislative Assembly.
According to RTI replies, between 2016 and 2025, Vijayan undertook 25 foreign trips to attract investments -- including visits to the UAE, USA, UK, Japan, South Korea, Finland, Norway, Switzerland, France, Bahrain, and the Netherlands -- but none resulted in a memorandum of understanding (MoU).
This contrasts with his assertions in the Assembly of investment commitments worth hundreds of crores, including a high-profile claim of 500 million dollars from the UAE government.
“All along, we have been asking what Kerala has gained from these trips. Now that authorities themselves have confirmed there were no MoUs, the CM must come clean,” Liju said.
Most of the tours, barring the US visit, were official delegations funded by the state exchequer, costing several crores at a time when Kerala’s finances are under strain. The frequent presence of Vijayan’s wife, daughter, and grandson on these trips has also drawn criticism.
Former IT advisor to ex-CM V.S. Achuthanandan, Joseph C. Mathew, said the problem extended beyond foreign visits to the outcomes of domestic investment conclaves.
“As compared to neighbouring states, Kerala lags far behind in attracting sizeable investments. If the government’s claims of new establishments were accurate, unemployment should have vanished by now,” he remarked.
Mathew also recalled Vijayan’s defence when questioned about his grandson’s participation in overseas tours: “It’s because he is my grandson that he is coming with me.”
With no official rebuttal from the CM yet, the controversy threatens to intensify political pressure over the cost-effectiveness of his foreign engagements.
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