A day after the LDF government rejected the allegations of fund diversion for the proposed 'Vanitha Mathil' (Wall of Women) in the Kerala High Court, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan Friday said no money would be spent from the state exchequer for the programme.
He also dismissed propaganda that the left government was spending Rs 50 crore from state funds, earmarked for women's welfare programmes, for the initiative scheduled to be held on January 1.
The Wall of Women is against any attempt to push society back to the dark ages from its progressive values, the chief minister said.
"Leaving no room for doubt, it is made clear that the government will not spend any money from the state exchequer for it.
But, we will give all support for the programme. The government stand is that we will not backtrack from the progressive path. It does not mean that the government will meet the expenses of the initiative," he said at an employees' programme here.
State Finance minister T M Thomas Isaac said the 'Wall of Women' is an "official programme" of the government but not a single penny would be spent from the state exchequer.
However, Opposition Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala Friday lashed out at the government, saying it was "cheating" the people of the state in the name of 'Wall of Women' and trying to spend government funds.
"Even though the government is claiming that it won't use money from the state exchequer, ithad submitted an affidavit in the High Court, saying it would use Rs 50 crore from the government fund.
Now, their cheating has been caught red-handed and they are trying to cover up their mistake," he told reporters here.
Vijayan, earlier this month, had announced the'Women's Wall' would be formed on January 1 from the northerndistrict of Kasaragode to the southern most district ofThiruvananthapuram "to demonstrate the secular and progressivemindset of the state."
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