Kerala's SilverLine rail project sabotaged by Karnataka-Hyderabad IT infra lobby: MLA Anvar

CPM MLA P V Anvar alleged that V D Satheesan received Rs 150 crore from the lobbies as election fund in 2021 and AICC general secretary K C Venugopal was also involved in the conspiracy.

Thiruvananthapuram: A MLA of the ruling CPM in Kerala has alleged that the much-hyped SilverLine semi-high speed rail project of Kerala was sabotaged by Karnataka and Hyderabad based IT infrastructure lobbies by bribing opposition leader V D Satheesan of the Congress.

CPM MLA P V Anvar raised the allegation in the Assembly on Wednesday. He alleged that Satheesan received Rs 150 crore from the lobbies as election fund in 2021 and AICC general secretary K C Venugopal was also involved in the conspiracy.

Satheesan, however, reacted that allegations are baseless and don't deserve any responses. He also said that it was unfortunate that permission was being given to raise such allegations in the house.

Anvar said that the IT infrastructure firms of Karnataka and Hyderabad feared that the SilverLine project would make Kerala an IT hub, owing to the availability of a large pool of professionally qualified youths and high-speed connectivity across Kerala. It would hit the prospects of the ongoing IT infrastructure lending business of Karnataka and Hyderabad.

They hatched a conspiracy with Venugopal and Satheesan to launch stirs against the SilverLine project. He also claimed that ahead of the 2021 Assembly elections Rs 150 crore was sent in frozen fish containers from Karnataka to Kerala as election fund for Satheesan.