THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: As the Kannur international airport is set to enter the aviation map on Sunday, the war of words between political parties remains unabated. Close on the heels of the decision of the UDF to boycott the inaugural function of the airport alleging non-invitation to former Chief Ministers V S Achuthanandan and Oommen Chandy, two senior Congress leaders had hit the social media against the cold-shoulders of the state government.
According to the leaders, the Left Government out of petty politics had desisted from giving due credit to the Oommen Chandy-led UDF Government, former Chief Minister V S Achuthanandan and former Defence Minister A K Antony.
K Babu, who handled the Aviation portfolio during the previous UDF Government, in a Facebook post said neither the Left Government nor the Kannur International Airport Ltd management had made an effort to ‘make even a single call to him informing about the inauguration’. “The UDF Government played a major role in making Kannur airport project a reality,” said Babu.
He said, “During its tenure, the government successfully persuaded Defence-Environment-Home and Civil Aviation Ministries to grant its approval for the project.”
The said project might still have remained on paper had it not been for the effective intervention of the then Union Ministers Antony and Vayalar Ravi, said Babu.
He also said in his post it was the UDF Government which completed 90 per cent of the works of the airport.
In another Facebook post, former KPCC president V M Sudheeran said it was condemnable the present government didn’t invite former CMs Achuthanandan and Chandy and former Union Minister Antony.
“Pinarayi Vijayan-led government is trying to take credit of the project as a whole.
The project has become a reality due to the relentless and dedicated efforts of successive governments,” said Sudheeran.