Another BJP-CPM spat in Kerala over development project

Kerala on Sunday witnessed yet another public spat between the BJP government and the centre and the Left government in the state staking claims over a development work.

The fresh spat is over the Sivagiri Spiritual Tourism Circuit project. A couple of weeks back a similar spat happened over an NH by-pass project with both the Kerala Government and the Centre staking claims over commissioning the long pending project.

The Rs. 70 crore Sivagiri Pilgrim Circuit project of the centre aims at setting up amenities for pilgrims at the Sivagiri pilgrim centre, the final resting place of social reformer Sree Narayana Guru, at the outskirts of Thiruvananthapuram district.

Union Minister of State for Tourism Alphos Kannathanam recently announced that the project would be implemented by the India Tourism Development Corporation and it would be inaugurated on Feb 10. But this had not gone down well with the Kerala Government as it felt like being kept off from the project. Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had also sent a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi the other day expressing the resentment.

Mr. Kannanthanam had earlier came out with a copy of letter sent to the Kerala Government.

At the inaugural function on Sunday, Kerala Tourism Minister Kadakampally Surendran expressed the state's displeasure openly. He alleged that some vested interest groups had kept off Kerala government from the project. He also accused that a section at the Sivagiri mutt was also having political agendas. He even left the venue before the function ended.

Alphonse Kannanthanam who inaugurated the project said that the Kerala government should change its approach towards the centre. Indirectly referring to the Women Wall initiated by the Left government in connection with the Sabarimala women entry row, Kannanthanam said that the attitude of creating walls in the society should be avoided.