New Delhi: Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi to expedite the final approval process for the railways. The two met at the Parliament House at 11 am on Thursday.
The Kerala Chief Minister told reporters after the meeting that the details of the meeting with Modi would be explained at a press conference at 4 pm. CPM Rajya Sabha member John Brittas was also present at the PM's audience.
The move by the state government is aimed at exerting more pressure on the Centre even as the state government is facing stiff protests in Kerala. Although the Silver Line project has been approved in principle by the Centre, K-Rail has yet to respond to a number of issues raised by the Railways including the points that the Detailed Project Report was incomplete and the estimated cost was understated.
Meanwhile, as the Modi-Pinarayi discussions progressed inside Parliament, the Delhi Police's handling of UDF MPs in Kerala in front of Parliament led to widespread protests. UDF MPs protested in the middle of the Lok Sabha. The MPs lodged a written complaint with the Speaker, citing issues including the attack on a woman MP. The Speaker assured that the matter would be discussed after the question and answer session.
The UDF MPs alleged that the police action was a negation of democracy. Member K Muraleedharan said that what happened in Delhi was a repetition of the drama going on in Kerala. He said the central and state governments are the same on this. The UDF MPs marched peacefully without resorting to violence. Muraleedharan told the media that Ramya Haridas MP was dragged along by the police.
On her part, Remya Haridas said that the Delhi Police action was sheer use of force. She alleged that the police had attacked her for protesting peacefully. Rajmohan Unnithan said that he had lodged a written complaint with the Lok Sabha Speaker regarding the police attack on the MPs. Unnithan told the media that the speaker had promised to take up the issue after the end of the question and answer session.