Commissioning of the Kochi Metro Rail project, Kerala’s prestigious development project, has got embroiled in a controversy with Tourism Minister Kadakampally Surendran announcing that it would be inaugurated on May 30 with or without the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and, barely hours later, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan rejecting his statement.
Mr. Surendran, convener of the committee that oversees the various programmes to mark the first anniversary of the Pinarayi Vijayan government, told reporters on Friday noon that the government had decided to inaugurate the Kochi metro on May 30.
The government, he said, was trying to get the Prime Minister to flag off the first metro service, but may have it inaugurated by the Chief Minister in case the Prime Minister is not able to make it on May 30 or immediately.
However, State BJP president Kummanam Rajasekharan was quick to see a ‘political conspiracy’ in the State government’s ‘decision’ to launch the Kochi metro on a date that is inconvenient to the Prime Minister.
Pointing out that the Central government had a major stake in the project, given the financial and technical support,
Mr. Rajasekharan said the decision to ‘keep out’ the Prime Minister from the project’s inauguration smacked of ‘narrow partisan vested interests’ of the State government.
The Congress also came out against the Minister’s statement with party MP from Ernakulam K.V. Thomas making it clear that the right thing to do was to wait for a date convenient to the Prime Minister.
The Chief Minister immediately stepped in to douse the Opposition ire and told reporters in Kannur that the announcement that the Kochi metro would be inaugurated on May 30 was born out of a ‘misunderstanding.’ The government had not decided the date for Kochi metro launch. It had written to the Prime Minister on April 11 seeking a date convenient for him and was awaiting a reply.
“We are still hopeful of getting a date convenient to the Prime Minister. Or else, the Prime Minister should say that he will not come. Then we will consider other options,” he said.
