Take up Aranmula airport issue with Modi: George

Government Chief Whip P.C. George has called upon the people of Aranmula as well as the Joint Action Council chaired by social activist Sugathakumari to apprise Prime Minister-designate Narendra Modi of the ground realities in connection with the controversial Aranmula airport project.

Mr. George was inaugurating the 100th day of the indefinite satyagraha against the airport project launched by the action council at Aranmula on Wednesday.

Powerful lobby

The forces behind the private airport project were allegedly a powerful multinational corporate lobby capable of influencing the higher echelons of power, Mr. George alleged.

He said the people’s power should check those who had shown arrogance in openly backing the ‘‘anti-people airport project.’’ The Chief Whip said the local MP had sought police protection for himself. It was worth mentioning that no case of attack had been reported against those who had been supporting the airport project, so far, despite the fact that the indefinite satyagraha had already entered 100th day, he said.

Mr. George said the MP might have sought police protection sensing some danger in the event of the KGS Group abandoning its airport plan at Aranmula.

Lauds Modi

The Chief Whip said that Mr. Modi bowing down at the portals of Parliament House, which is regarded as the `Temple of Democracy,’ amply showed his dignity.

Bowing down at the portals of Parliament House in reverence represented the typical Indian culture and way of paying obeisance to all eminent personalities who had crossed it since 1947, he said.

‘‘Mr. Modi is honourable and his critics should bear in mind that he has won the Varanasi Parliament seat that houses as many as 3.5 lakh Muslim voters by a margin of 5.5 lakh votes,’’ the Chief Whip said.

Mr. George said that with his signature and that of K. Muraleedharan, MLA, the total number of MLAs opposing the Aranmula airport project had gone up to 75.

Government flayed

Presiding over the function, Sugathakumari said the reported government move to ‘‘sabotage’’ the Kerala Conservation of Paddy Land and Wetland Act, 2008, was highly deplorable. She called upon the people to defeat any such move.