THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan denied reports that Railway Minister Piyush Goyal refused to meet him during the former’s recent New Delhi visit. Pinarayi said on Sunday he never had any plan to meet Goyal in Delhi. The Chief Minister’s clarification comes on the heels of the row over Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s refusal to meet him and the uncertainty surrounding the Kanjikode coach factory. On Friday, the CM had also inaugurated a protest organised by Kerala MPs outside Rail Bhavan.
On Saturday, the Union Railway Minister met senior CPM leader V S Achuthanandan in New Delhi and accepted a representation on the Kanjikkode coach factory from him.Pinarayi said on Sunday that he planned to write to Goyal again, setting out the facts regarding the coach factory issue. He also criticised the Union Minister’s stand vis a vis the land acquisition for the project. Goyal should try to study the facts regarding the project. Kerala has made substantial progress in acquiring land, he said.
PWD Minister G Sudhakaran, who handles railway affairs in the state, said on Sunday that the foundation stone was laid for the coach factory project. The project should be implemented at the earliest, Sudhakaran said, adding he would write to Modi and Goyal outlining the state’s demand. The assurances given by the Railway Board Chairman during his Kerala visit should be kept, Sudhakaran said.
Centre is discriminating against Kerala, says LDF convener
T’Puram: The Centre is discriminating against Kerala because Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his BJP-led government harbour political hatred towards the Left Front government, alleged LDF convener A Vijayaraghavan. Modi’s denial of an appointment to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan is a challenge to the federal system, he said, adding that earlier too, the CM was denied a chance to submit a resolution passed by an all-party meeting in the state.
It was followed by several rejections, he said. According to Vijayaraghavan, this time, the CM had wanted to discuss the crisis faced by the state owing to the anomalies in the Food Security Act. As a consumer state, Kerala needs more allocation of foodgrain.
The PM’s stand was that Pinarayi should discuss the issue with the Union Food Minister. But, as the issue needs a policy decision, there is no point in meeting the Food Minister, he argued. Kerala also faces discrimination in railway development as is evident from the issues related with the proposed railway coach factory and track doubling, he said.
Railways Minister Piyush Goyal’s statement that rail track cannot be laid in air is ridiculous, said Vijayaraghavan, adding that though the state had acquired land for the factory, the Centre had abandoned the project. He asked Goyal to withdraw the statement and urged the people of Kerala to protest against the Centre’s stand.