KOZHIKODE: The political tug-of-war over the location of the proposed All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) has intensified, with the BJP facing internal dissension over the ruling CPM’s backing of Kinaloor, in Kozhikode. The latest controversy has been fuelled by varied proposals from prominent BJP figures. Rajya Sabha MP P T Usha is batting for Kinaloor, aligning with the state government’s official position.
Usha has twice written to the Union government. She first wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on July 20, 2022, and followed up in 2023 with a letter to the Union health minister. Citing extensive preparatory work by the state, her missives emphasised that Kinaloor is the ideal location for the premier health institution.
“The Kerala government has already acquired over 150 acres of land in Kinaloor, marking substantial progress toward the required 200-acre land parcel,” she highlighted. “My own establishment, the Usha School of Athletics in Kinaloor, has willingly surrendered five acres of land to facilitate the project. Also, when I raised a question during Zero Hour in the Rajya Sabha, the reply confirmed that measures were already in progress in Kinaloor,” Usha said.
The BJP’s position appears fractured, with different leaders advocating for AIIMS in various districts. Union minister of state Suresh Gopi recently called for the institution to be located in Alappuzha or, alternatively, Thrissur, arguing that the coastal district’s backwardness makes it a deserving location. His view has been publicly distanced by other party leaders.