The Kochi Corporation Council meeting on Thursday witnessed heated exchanges between the government and opposition benches over a proposal to approve an offer of ₹55,000 per month to manage the mayor’s official social media and digital channels.
While he was not explicitly opposed to the move, Left Democratic Front (LDF) parliamentary party leader VA Sreejith questioned whether the annual expenditure would exceed the ceiling set by the state government order and whether the offer was gazetted or processed through tendering. He also reminded the UDF councilors of their earlier criticism bordering on personal attacks on former mayor M. Anilkumar when he moved a similar motion.
“We do not indulge in such antics but it is worth recalling how Mr. Anilkumar cited the growing importance of IT and the need to keep the public informed about the workings of the corporation so that he is subsequently reprimanded,” Mr. Sreejith said.
The government allows corporations to spend up to ₹5,000 per year and other local bodies up to ₹3,00,000 on social media operations.
UDF councilor MG Aristoteles countered that the UDF opposed the use of corporate funds to maintain the mayor’s personal social networks. He thanked Mr. Anilkumar for securing government approval and launching the Kochi Mayor’s official Facebook page, calling him the “father of the corporation’s social media operation”. However, he pointed out that Mr. Anilkumar spent ₹64,000 a month, exceeding the annual limit of ₹5,000.
LDF councilor Ambika Sudarshan recalled how UDF councilors once debated the mayor’s social media proposal for hours during the LDF tenure, which contrasted with the relative ease with which the UDF was pushing it now.
BJP councilor Priya Prashanth urged that the mayor’s existing official Facebook page be maintained and warned against exceeding the government’s spending cap, noting that the current proposal meant an annual expenditure of ₹6.60 lakh.
The debate heated up when UDF councilor Henry Austin accused Mr. Sreejith of dragging the discussion without clarifying his stand. Later, UDF councilor Sibi John’s remark about prolonging the debate was misinterpreted by opposition members as an insult to their dignity, sparking another uproar.
Mayor VK Minimol, initially accommodating to the opposition, grew weary as the debate dragged on and noted that the matter could be voted on if the opposition so desired. As tempers cooled, she said a letter would be sent to the government seeking to extend the benefits of social networking to councillors.
Published – 12 March 2026 23:45 IST
