By P. Sreekumaran
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A needless controversy marred Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Kerala on Thursday, March 11. What should have become an example of cooperative federalism, descended into a petty spectacle of uncooperative federalism due to partisan comments of BJP and senior BJP leaders of the state.
That the PM’s visit was to kickstart the BJP’s election campaign of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance in the State was a given. Indulgence in a bit of political bias was also to be expected. But what was on show was unabashed political petulance and partisanship.
The Prime Minister leveraged his visit to launch a slew of projects worth around Rs 11,000 crore clearly with an eye on the upcoming Kerala Assembly elections scheduled to be held in April. The same exercise he undertook on the eve of the Bihar Assembly elections some time back. The stratagem paid rich dividends for the party in that State. But the possibility of the BJP being able to repeat the same success in a secular State like Kerala is remote.
The Prime Minister’s programme in Kochi included, among other things, inauguration of two stretches of the National Highway (NH) 66. However, controversy marred the occasion with the Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and two of his ministerial colleagues boycotting the event. The boycott – and they were right in staying away – was in protest against not inviting State Public Works Minister P. A. Mohammed Riyas to the function besides the ‘absence of a proper communication’ regarding the invitation to the event.
A peeved CPI(M) organized a parallel inauguration of the two road stretches before the PM inaugurated it. While CH Kunhambu, MLA, opened the Thalappady-Chengala stretch, Riyas inaugurated the Vengalam-Ramanattukara road stretch. Riyas also undertook a roadshow along the stretch. Ministers M. B.Rajesh and K. Krishnankutty, and Congress leaders Benny Behanan and Uma Thomas, MLA, stayed away from the PM’s event, Hibi Eden, Congress MP from Ernakulam, attended it. In an interesting sidelight, the PM reportedly asked Eden why he was not in Parliament which is in session. Eden is said to have replied that he was not in a position to attend Parliament as he has been placed under suspension!
The ‘wilful exclusion’ of Riyas from the event was the latest instance of the BJP’s political vendetta against the people of Kerala. What was on show at the NH 66 episode was the ‘rightwing politics-driven discrimination’ against Kerala. The State had raised Rs 5,666 crore through the Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board (KIIFB) for the road project. Incidentally, Kerala is the only state which has had to spend its funds on the project. National Highway construction in other states is financed entirely by the Union Government. If this is not political discrimination, then what is? That is the question being asked by Kerala leaders cutting across political affiliations. In a refreshing change, even the Leader of the Opposition (LoP) in Kerala Assembly, V. D. Satheesan criticized the exclusion of Riyas. The inauguration, he said, was not a family function but a public one organized using the taxpayers’ money. Failure to invite the State PWD minister was a clear violation of the democratic principles, he added.
CPI state secretary Binoy Viswom also identified himself with the sentiments expressed by the Chief Minister and the LOP. The PM’s Kochi visit exposed the deceitful approach of the Union Government towards Kerala, he pointed out. The Union Government, he added, has been trying to stall the development of the State by denying its due.
That the State PWD Minister was not invited was bad enough. What was worse was the attempt to defend the indefensible by BJP State chief Rajiv Chandrasekhar. The Chief Minister was invited. There was no justification for demanding that his family members, including his son-in-law Riyas, should be invited. That was the shocking stand of Rajiv. BJP state general secretary S. Suresh added insult to injury with his snide remark that Riyas could complain to his father-in-law! There is a protocol, Suresh said, governing invitation for an event attended by the Prime Minister. The innuendo was that there was no need to invite Riyas. But you are wrong, my dear sir. Since it was the inauguration of a National Highway road, the PWD Minister should have been invited.
In his speech, the PM said the Union Budget has set apart record funds for infrastructure. Kerala has also benefited greatly from the infrastructure investment. The railway stations at Shoranur, Kuttippuramand Changanassery have been modernized. Electrification of the Shoranur-Nilambur railway line has been completed. The Palakkad-Pollachi train service has also commenced. The six-lane road will improve connectivity to the Azheekkal port. The six-lane Kozhikode bypass will reduce traffic congestion and save travel time. All these projects, Modi said, will help Kerala’s farmers and boost tourism and other industries.
These projects, the PM claimed, will provide employment for thousands of young people in Kerala apart from playing a vital role in fulfilling the commitment for a ‘developed Keralam,” he said.
Among those present on the occasion were Kerala Governor Rajendra Arlekar, Union Ministers Suresh Gopiand George Kurien, Hibi Eden, MP and BJP State chief Rajiv Chandrasekhar. (IPA Service)
