THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala has described Kochi Metro as a ‘baby of the UDF’ and said the inaugural ceremony of Kochi Metro on Saturday will not be boycotted, irrespective of being invited for the event or not.
“The inaugural event should have been devoid of controversies. The Kochi Metro was a dream project of the UDF Government,” he said, on the exclusion of the Opposition leader, former Chief Minister Oommen Chandy and Metroman E Sreedharan and others from the dais of the inaugural function.
‘’We have our protests. The Ernakulam DCC has convened a meeting of MLAs and other people’s representatives in the district on Thursday to devise ways to appropriately respond to the exclusion from the inaugural function, without boycotting the function,” he told mediapersons here. Ramesh said the Kochi Metro inaugural event should have been diligently organised to make it auspicious and heartening.
“It is for the government to decide on who all should take part in such an event. In the normal procedure, the local MLA, MP and Opposition leader will be invited. We’ve objections in the way the matter was handled. However, the UDF has no plans to boycott the inaugural function,” he said. Former KPCC president V M Sudheeran termed the organising of the inaugural event with the exclusion of Opposition leader and people’s representatives as most inappropriate and not conforming to democratic norms.
‘’It is highly objectionable. The inaugural function should have been turned into a people’s festival. The exclusion of former Chief Minister Oommen Chandy, who had given shape to the ambitious project with a strong determination and in a time-bound manner, and Opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala, is extremely wrong. It is an injustice and shame that even Metroman E Sreedharan has no place in the function. There is no justification either for the absence of people’s representatives, including local MLA P T Thomas, in the inaugural function,’’ Sudheeran said, in an FB post.