Did not receive assistance announced by Suresh Gopi; LDF councillors stage protest wearing tiger masks 

THRISSUR: Left councillors staged a unique protest during the Thrissur Corporation council meeting over the delay in receiving the financial assistance announced by the Union Tourism Ministry for the last Pulikali festival. The councillors arrived at the meeting wearing tiger masks as a mark of protest. The delay in releasing the central funds led to heated arguments between the ruling and opposition members during the council meeting.

Union Minister Suresh Gopi had announced that each team that participated in Pulikali would receive financial assistance of Rs 2 lakh. However, months after the announcement, the funds have still not been released. The LDF councillors demanded that the reason for the delay should be explained. They alleged that the central government was ignoring Thrissur’s cultural heritage by delaying the financial support.