Chennithala urges intellectuals to reconsider participation in Kerala govt. conference

Congress member Ramesh Chennithala urged prominent figures like Amartya Sen, Romila Thapar, and Sakunthala Thilsted to reconsider their participation in the Kerala government's International Conference on Development and Democracy. Chennithala expressed concern that the event, held ahead of Assembly elections, could be used by the incumbent government to portray itself as democratic despite criticism over its record on freedoms, integrity, and accountability. He warned that the conference might be misconstrued as an endorsement of the government's claims, potentially benefiting the ruling dispensation in their re-election campaign.