In an unprecedented move, the Kerala Cabinet gathered on Wednesday at a bar affiliated with a private hotel in the Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s hometown of Kannur.
Traditionally, weekly Cabinet meetings on Wednesdays have been held at the state secretariat in the capital. On rare occasions, these meetings take place outside the state capital, but they are typically hosted in state-operated guest houses.
Criticism from the Congress has been directed at Vijayan for choosing a private hotel over the available government guest houses in Kannur, arguing that it would have been a cost-effective alternative.
Vijayan is currently undertaking a statewide tour that commenced on Saturday and will span all 140 Assembly constituencies, concluding in the state capital on December 24. As part of this tour, the Chief Minister engages with the public in four Assembly constituencies each day, while the Cabinet convenes every Wednesday.
Describing his journey as the initiation of a new era for Kerala, Vijayan's opposition views it as an extravagant public relations maneuver leading up to the upcoming Lok Sabha polls next year.
(With agency inputs)
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