Kerala govt has ordered not to conduct local bodies' audit: LoP Chennithala

Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala) [India], October 20 : Leader of Opposition in Kerala Assembly Ramesh Chennithala on Tuesday alleged that the Kerala government has come out with an order that states not to conduct audit in local bodies.
Addressing a press conference here on Tuesday, he said that an order regarding it was issued by Audit Director.
"The corruption of the Left government is continuing and the recent example is the state government's decision not to conduct audit in local bodies. The new decision not to conduct audit is a blatant violation of rules. It is against the Local Fund Audit Act," he said.
Ramesh said that the government is immersed in corruption starting from the Sprinklr deal to the Life Mission scam and this new move is to cover up corruption in the Life Mission scam.
"The government should clarify on what basis such an order is issued by the Audit Director. I strongly demand that the Audit Director should be prosecuted," said the opposition leader.
He also alleged that the government is not conducting audit in Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board (KIIFB) or the Kannur airport.
"Not only this, but the government also has issued direction not to disclose the audit report that was completed till now. The decision has been taken so that corruption in Life Mission scam does not come out," he added.
When asked what step the opposition would take in this regard, he said, "We will take legal recourse if the government does not address the concerns regarding this."
He also attacked Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan for his remarks that the protest by the opposition had violated COVID-19 guidelines.
"The chief minister can indulge in corruption during COVID-19, but the opposition cannot carry out protests. The CM is trying to put the blame of failure of the health department on the opposition. I want to ask whether five Kerala Ministers tested positive due to opposition protest," he said.