“Part Of The Campaign…” Kerala Refuses To Install Selfie Points (image-instagram/narendramodi)

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has rejected the Union government’s directive to install selfie points featuring Prime Minister Narendra Modi at big ration shops under the centrally sponsored PM Gharib Kalyan Yojana reports The Wire.

While speaking in the state assembly, Pinarayi Vijayan said that it is part of the campaign for the Lok Sabha polls. “We will inform the Centre that it is not right and it’ll be difficult to implement here.” He further added that he will examine if this can be brought to the attention of the Election Commission.

A senior Kerala official also gave two reasons why the state has felt the branding instruction was unfair. He stated that, firstly, the Yojana, was introduced during the pandemic and later it was extended. The scheme is to be wrapped up by December 31 this year. This will leave the state to shoulder the free-grain scheme entirely from next year onwards.

Secondly, “apart from distributing the Yojana’s 5kg free food grains to the eligible below-poverty-line (BPL) people — 43 per cent of Kerala’s population — the ration shops disburse state government-provided subsidised food grains to the remaining 57 per cent, too,” reports The Telegraph.

State Minister for Food and Civil Supplies, GR Anil said that the state government will not implement such campaigns during the election year.

The selfie points campaign is the government’s part of the campaign in the run for the Lok Sabha election. They are now being installed in public places including railway stations, educational institutions, etc. – all at the taxpayers’ cost.

Kerala is not the first state to protest against Modi’s campaign using the welfare schemes. The Union government had earlier withheld the funds from West Bengal for refusing to print the Prime minister’s photo on ration bags which is used to distribute ration.