Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president Sunny Joseph on Saturday said the Congress has mobilized ₹5,38,21,632 for rehabilitation efforts after the landslide disaster in Wayanad, claiming that all transactions were transparent and channeled through bank accounts, and accused the Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI(M)) of spreading baseless allegations.
Addressing a press conference at Irrita in Kannur, he said the funds have been collected through a special application and include a contribution of ₹ 1.05 crore from the Youth Congress. The money was deposited in the joint account of the KPCC president and the leader of the opposition.
He said that in the first phase, 3 acres and 24.7 cents of land was purchased for ₹3,68,36,385 including stamp duty, registration, TDS and survey charges. Another ₹ 9.3 lakh was earlier spent on the development of the fund-raising app during the tenure of former KPCC president K. Sudhakaran.
In the second phase, 2 acres and 18 cents were acquired at a cost of ₹ 2,50,30,212. After the expenditure in the first phase, ₹ 1,60,55,5247 remained in the Wayanad relief fund, but as this was insufficient, ₹ 97,51,212 was drawn additionally from KPCC’s own resources. Another ₹73,90,985 is required for registration and related processes, which the party will raise, Mr. Joseph said.
He said the total expenditure so far was ₹ 6,27,96,597 which is more than the amount collected for housing. Only ₹77,67,247 remained in the Wayanad relief fund. He added that no new funds would be raised for the construction of the house and that the remaining work would be completed with the help of AICC and KPCC funds.
‘Open for verification’
Rejecting allegations of financial opacity, he said all transactions were traceable and open to verification and accused the CPI(M) of trying to create suspicion.
He also targeted the CPI(M) for alleged financial irregularities, including the martyr fund controversy sparked by V. Kunhikrishnan in Payyannur, alleging that the party did not release accounts and instead expelled those who questioned it. He further claimed that similar complaints had come from other parts of the state, including Thiruvananthapuram.
Mr. Joseph also slammed the CPI(M) for fielding candidates allegedly linked to controversies and referred to cases like the Sabarimala gold theft case, claiming that stakeholders were protected. He questioned the credibility of the CPI(M) in leveling allegations against the Congress over rehabilitation and said Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had avoided a public debate on the issue.
Highlighting the role of the Congress during the disaster, he said that the opposition had fully cooperated with the government and that leaders, including MP Priyanka Gandhi and MLA T. Siddique, were working on the ground. He noted that despite the state government not setting up an earmarked fund as it had demanded, the Congress extended support, including help from Congress-ruled states like Karnataka and Telangana.
Mr. Joseph alleged that CPI(M) cadres tried to encroach on land purchased by the Congress by erecting shacks and criticized the marches organized to the offices of Mrs. Gandhi and Mr. Siddique.
Mr. Joseph raised concerns over the conduct of the Kannur Assembly elections and urged the Election Commission’s immediate intervention, alleging that the district administration and officials were acting in favor of the CPI(M). He pointed out that polling officials in Peravur constituency did not receive the ballot papers even two days before polling.
He also drew attention to complaints about home voting, claiming that ballot boxes have wide openings that allow votes to be counted. He accused the Kannur district collector of reacting dismissively when the matter was raised and alleged that the administration was facilitating electoral malpractices by appointing officials with left leanings instead of maintaining neutrality.
Published – 04 Apr 2026 20:42 IST
