Tension Brews Over Kerala's Welfare Pension Disputes

K C Venugopal, Congress General Secretary, clarified his comments on Kerala's welfare pension disbursement delays, stating they were misunderstood. He accused the state government of paying arrears close to elections, while Finance Minister K N Balagopal refuted these claims, calling Venugopal's remarks 'wrong' and 'misleading.'

Congress General Secretary K C Venugopal clarified his comments on Kerala's welfare pension disbursement, claiming they were intended to highlight delays and were misconstrued by the CPI(M). He accused the Kerala government of clearing arrears close to elections.

State Finance Minister K N Balagopal dismissed these allegations, insisting that there were no significant arrears, and highlighted that recent payments were announced prior to the Nilambur by-poll notice.

This dispute adds tension to the ongoing political landscape in Kerala, with the ruling CPI(M) dismissing Venugopal's statements as 'baseless' and the Congress leader defending his position by focusing on the need for timely pension payments.

(With inputs from agencies.)