KOCHI: Ahead of the state assembly elections, the CPM and the BJP have plunged into a fresh political confrontation after the LDF government decided to boycott Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s official function in Kochi, where he is set to inaugurate and launch development projects worth around Rs 10,800 crore on Wednesday.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and his cabinet colleagues chose to stay away from the event, accusing the Centre of sidelining Kerala’s Public Works Department (PWD) Minister Mohammed Riyas from the official programme.
The immediate trigger for the boycott was the Centre’s refusal to include Riyas in the function, where the Prime Minister is scheduled to launch two major highway projects, the six-laning of the Thalapady–Chengala section of NH-66 and the six-laning of the Kozhikode Bypass from Vengalam to Ramanattukara.
“There have been many NH stretch inaugurations in the past, and I have attended such events. This is not just about avoiding the state PWD minister; it is tantamount to humiliating Kerala,” Riyas told reporters.
Local Self-Government Minister M. B. Rajesh, who had been invited to the function, also announced that he would boycott the event, saying he was informed about the programme barely 24 hours in advance. Rajesh also alleged that he had faced humiliation during the Prime Minister’s function in Thiruvananthapuram last month when he was asked by the SPG to produce his Aadhaar card before entering the venue.
Riyas pointed out that national highway projects in Kerala had nearly come to a standstill during the Congress-led UDF government’s tenure.
“The NHAI office in Kerala was nearly shut, and officials were preparing to leave the state. In 2016, when the LDF government assumed office, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan took the initiative to meet the Prime Minister and Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari to revive the highway projects in Kerala,” he said. To ensure that the projects moved forward, the state government decided to share the land acquisition cost with the Centre.
“The Kerala government contributed Rs 5,800 crore towards land acquisition for national highways,” Riyas said, adding that BJP state president Rajeev Chandrasekhar had been included in the official programme while the state PWD minister was ignored.
Responding to the criticism, Rajeev Chandrasekhar said the Chief Minister had been invited to attend the function. “If the Chief Minister wanted his son-in-law to attend the event, he should have informed the PMO well in advance,” Chandrasekhar said. Riyas, the state PWD minister, is the son-in-law of Pinarayi Vijayan. When pointed out that Riyas was the state’s PWD minister, Chandrasekhar said the Chief Minister, being the head of the state government, had been invited to the programme.
During the visit, the Prime Minister will inaugurate, dedicate to the nation, lay the foundation stone for, and flag off multiple development projects in the state worth around Rs 10,800 crore. Among them, he will lay the foundation stone for the proposed Polypropylene Unit at the Kochi Refinery of Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited.
