Thiruvananthapuram, Mar 19 (PTI) As Kerala continued to witness raging protests by people against the Left government’s flagship SilverLine rail corridor project, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Saturday categorically made it clear that the multi-crore infrastructure initiative would be implemented as announced with the support of the people of the southern state.
Rejecting the ongoing agitations being reported from various parts of the state against the laying of survey stones, he said such demonstrations were against the development of the land and none of the projects announced by the government would remain only on papers.
The CM also accused the opposition Congress and BJP of adopting a stand against the progress of the state, but warned them that the common people were aware of their motive.
“The opposition Congress has become a group which stands against the progress of the land. The BJP also adopts a similar position…Whatever projects have been announced by the government, they all will be implemented with the support of the people,” Vijayan said while speaking at a function in Kollam.
However, opposition Congress-UDF and BJP reiterated their stand saying they won’t allow the Marxist Party government to implement the SilverLine project as people of the state were vehemently opposing it and they would extend all support to the commoners who stage protests in various places.
Meanwhile, the CPI(M) on Saturday said the opposition Congress wants to create a ‘Nandigram’ in Kerala.
The comment on ‘Nandigram’ is in reference to farmers who were killed in police firing during an anti-land acquisition stir in West Bengal’s Nandigram in 2007 under the then Left front government in the eastern state.
CPI(M) state secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan said the LDF government in Kerala will move forward with the developmental projects and does not intend to fight the people.
“Those who oppose this (K-Rail) want to create a Nandigram in Kerala. They want police to fire at people. The opposition had earlier declared that they will create another Nandigram model incident in Kerala. Now, their intentions are clear. It seems they want to create martyrs,” Balakrishnan said at a press meet here.
He said the Left government does not intend to withdraw from development projects citing hurdles.
“We do not intend to fight with the people of the state. We plan to move forward with the developmental projects by taking into confidence the people of the state,” he said.
Balakrishnan said the Left government was always ready to listen to the issues faced by the victims of eviction.
When asked about the alleged police excess against the protesters during the K-Rail agitation, Balakrishnan said the party has a clear policy on how police acts against protests.
He said the government and the party were not against any sort of protests.
“The party has a policy that clearly states how a protest must be dealt with. That police must not engage in firing or no excesses on part of the police while dealing with the protests. But one cannot obstruct the duties of the police. Then, the police will take steps to enforce its duties. If they fail to do so, then there will be no law and order in the state,” the party state chief told the reporters.
Earlier, Leader of Opposition V D Satheesan said the UDF has taken over the anti-SilverLine agitation and would continue to remove the survey stones being laid by the authorities as part of the implementation of the project.
“The people of the state will not allow such a project to happen in our state. We are with such common people. We will continue our fight,” he told reporters in Kochi.
Union Minister V Muraleedharan visited Madappally, a tiny hamlet in Kottayam district, where police had forcibly removed agitators, including women, as the protest turned violent two days ago, and lent an ear to the concerns of local people.
Later, the senior BJP leader assured them that the central government had not given any nod to the state authorities to implement the project.
“People won’t allow the government to implement such projects. The Centre already made it clear that they have given no nod for the initiative. No one can implement such a project through the means of violence in democratic India,” he told reporters.
Strongly condemning the alleged police action against people, especially women protesters, he sought to know whether the government was conducting the social impact study by dragging them on roads.
Muraleedharan also charged that the “police high-handedness” in Madappally was “pre-planned” as police personnel came wearing helmets and avoiding their name boards to block all possible chances to recognise them.
Meanwhile, protests continued in several places in the state today, including Tirur in Malapppuram and Chottanikkara in Ernakulam district, where a large number of people, especially women came out on the streets protesting against K-Rail officials who came to install survey stones. PTI LGK RRT RRT HDA HDA
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