Left cashing in on airport privatisation

The row over Thiruvananthapuram airport’s privatisation is being made a political weapon by the CPM-led LDF in Kerala against the BJP, especially in the state capital where the BJP has high hopes of winning in the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections.

The Left Democratic Front has launched grass-root level protest meeting unleashing a campaign that the BJP government at the Centre ‘sold out’ the Thiruvananthapuram airport to the Adani group for a meagre price. Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, who is expected to contest for the third time, is also being accused of facilitating the deal.

However, both the BJP and Tharoor strongly feel that private participation is significant for the airport’s development.

CPM state secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan even raised suspicions over the entire tendering process of the six airports as the Adani group won five of it. Even as the airport is being leased out to the private party for 50 years, the CPM is unleashing a campaign that the airport is being sold out to the private party.

A CPM leader said that there are thousands of people directly or indirectly associated with the airport. Hence the airport privatisation is being made an issue in the campaign.

BJP state general secretary M T Ramesh said the main stakeholders of the airport were its users and the users were welcoming privatisation as it could improve the facilities in the airport.