Kerala businessmen in the Gulf countries have gone underground as the politicians are flocking the region in search of election fund.Some leaders have already completed their first round of fund-raising tour of the Gulf countries while a few more are getting ready to fly in search of financial assistance from the Malayalee businessmen.But according to sources, what awaited the Kerala politicians in the Gulf nations was not a warm reception as many of the NRI businessmen gave them the slip.Main Opposition party Communist Party of India (Marxist) State secretary Pinarayi Vijayan, who had toured the Gulf countries last month to raise funds for the party’s television channel Kairali, is likely to make a second trip abroad in search of the rich non-resident Kerala businessmen who would contribute to the CPM election fund.What is striking about the CPM leader’s foreign trip is that the fund-raising tour is being conducted at a time when a heated discussion is going on in the party over the CPM and its leaders accepting foreign funds.Information and Parliamentary Affairs Minister M.M. Hassan is currently on a two-week tour of the Gulf nations. The Gulf tour of Hassan, who also heads the Non-Resident Keralites’ Affairs Department, is not purely official. He is said to have been entrusted with the job of raising election fund for the Congress. Hassan is expected to be back on March 16.Two other leaders touring the Gulf nations now are K.E. Ismail and Benoy Viswam of the CPI. Benoy left for the Gulf the other day while Ismail is expected to be back in a few days.Former minister and IUML leader C.T. Ahammed Ali returned on Sunday after a two-week tour of the Gulf countries. The IUML is expected to send another batch of leaders abroad in the coming days for fund-raising.Apart from the Kerala politicians, their agents, party members, party sympathisers and various cultural organisations functioning in the Gulf countries have also been entrusted with the job of collecting money for their respective parties.
