At the event, Pinarayi Vijayan thanked Modi for allocating a Vande Bharat train to Kerala and sought for more such trains for the state.
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan presenting a memento to Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the public function in Thiruvananthapuram on 25 April. (Supplied)
A day after accusing Kerala’s LDF government of abetting illegal activities like gold smuggling, Prime Minister Narendra Modi reached a temporary truce with Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Tuesday, 25 April, by terming the newly inaugurated Water Metro project in Kochi and the proposed digital science park in Thiruvananthapuram as “models that other states can emulate”.
The prime minister also expressed his happiness to witness the launch of different large-scale development projects in the state, which collectively cost around ₹3,200 crore.
Modi launched the renovation of the Thiruvananthapuram, Varkala-Sivagiri and Kozhikode railway stations, as well as announced steps to develop the Nemom and Kochuveli stations in Kerala’a capital as satellite stations of Thiruvananthapuram Central with additional yards.
Appreciating the developments that Kerala is making in various sectors, Modi said that all that happens in the state will speed up the development of the country.
“The Kochi Water Metro is one which was built under the Make in India programme and I congratulate Cochin Shipyard Limited for building it. This is going to be a model for the rest of the country and I am happy,” said Modi.
Elated to be in Thiruvananthapuram! Various development projects are being launched which will significantly benefit people and further Kerala's progress. https://t.co/r5fbyDam37
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) April 25, 2023
Keeping ideological differences at bay, Vijayan also used the occasion to express his gratitude to Modi for allocating a Vande Bharat train to the state and launching several development initiatives there.
It was the first time that Vijayan, who has been aggressively campaigning for his pet project — the SilverLine semi-high-speed rail corridor — is making remarks regarding the Union government’s allocation of the Vande Bharat train to the state.
Flagged off Kerala’s first Vande Bharat Express, which will enhance connectivity from Thiruvananthapuram to Kasaragod. pic.twitter.com/u1RqG5SoVU
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) April 25, 2023
These developments come at a time when the BJP state unit is engaged in discrediting the SilverLine project by highlighting Vande Bharat as a train that would not plunder the state’s natural resources and cause innumerable financial liabilities.
Pinarayi Vijayan receives Modi at Thiruvananthapuram Airport. (Supplied)
On the other hand, the LDF government led a systematic campaign that Vande Bharat would not substitute SilverLine. In his speech, Vijayan urged Modi to allocate more Vande Bharat trains to the state.
With Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw using the occasion to declare that Vande Bharat would be made high-speed in another two years by improving railway infrastructure in the state and straightening existing curves, the Union government has made it clear to the state that SilverLine would not be permitted.
Modi added that pilgrimage tourism in Kerala would get a boost through Vande Bharat.
“Developing our railway stations, laying new railway lines, doubling and electrifying existing railway lines, improving our signal systems, increasing the speed of our trains, and introducing new trains are all initiatives that need special focus,” Vijayan said in his appeal to Modi.
He also stated that if the Union and state governments work together with dedication, wonders could be done in such areas. Vijayan also urged Modi to help Kerala become a touchstone of cooperative federalism.
Throughout his speech, Vijayan remained silent about SilverLine, which had to be shelved due to protests by locals in many parts of the state, coupled with the lack of necessary clearance from the Centre.
Sashi Tharoor MP receives Narendra Modi in Thiruvananthapuram airport. Photo: Suplied.
On a two-day visit to Kerala, Modi shared the dais with Vijayan at a public meeting after flagging off the state’s first Vande Bharat Express connecting Thiruvananthapuram with Kasaragod. Modi flagged off the train from Thiruvananthapuram Central Railway Station at 11:10 am.
Before flagging off the Vande Bharat Express from platform 1 of the railway station, he interacted with a group of school children inside one of the train’s coaches.
Kerala Governor Arif Mohammad Khan, Chief Minister Vijayan and Congress leader and local MP Shashi Tharoor were also present with the prime minister as he interacted with the students. The children showed Modi paintings and sketches of him and the Vande Bharat train they made.
Hundreds gathered to see the prime minister flag off the train. Modi flew down from Kochi in the morning and was given a grand reception by BJP leaders and workers on his arrival at the Thiruvananthapuram airport.
The entire state capital was under a tight security net, with the deployment of hundreds of police personnel and stringent traffic restrictions, as the prime minister travelled from the airport to the railway station.
His nearly six-kilometre journey was akin to a road show, with the prime minister standing on the footboard of his vehicle and waving to the people as they showered him with flowers.
Thanking the prime minister for laying the foundation stone of the Digital Science Park and dedicating the Kochi Water Metro to the nation, Vijayan said that he was sure both these initiatives under the Government of Kerala would emerge as models for the entire country.
Delighted to announce that the Hon'ble PM @narendramodi laid the foundation stone for the country's first 3rd generation Digital Science Park in Kerala today. The project's total cost is ₹1515 Cr, with ₹200 Cr provided by the GoK & the remaining funding from industry partners. pic.twitter.com/BlF834HIGC
— Pinarayi Vijayan (@pinarayivijayan) April 25, 2023
The Kerala chief minister also listed a series of welfare and development projects implemented by the LDF government and said that its objective is to transform the southern state into a knowledge economy and innovative society.
While implementing all these projects, the state government also ensures that no one is excluded from enjoying the benefits of development and welfare schemes and projects, Vijayan said.
Among the developmental projects launched by Modi, a prominent one was the electrification of the Dindigul-Palani-Palakkad railway line.
An over eight-decade-old Malayalam patriotic song written by freedom fighter Bodheswaran, declared the cultural song of Kerala by the state government, was sung as the opening song during the public meeting addressed by Modi.
This is perhaps the first time that Keralaganam, penned by Bodheswaran in 1938, was rendered as the opening song in a major event attended by a VVIP, despite the state government directive last year.
A group of singers recited the insightful poem in their mellifluous voices, marking the beginning of the function at the Central Stadium, where the prime minister launched the projects.
(With inputs from PTI)
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