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Kerala semi-high-speed rail: Agitators pin hopes on Centre

Many senior BJP leaders were carrying out door-to-door campaigns at households facing eviction threats
Last Updated 27 December 2022, 18:09 IST

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan is adamant about implementing the SilverLine semi-high-speed rail project in the state. However, the agitators are pinning hopes that the BJP government at the Centre might not allow the project until the next Lok Sabha polls.

Vijayan’s meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday triggered speculations that the former took up the SilverLine project, along with many other state demands.

The Chief Minister’s Office is silent on the matter, though it mentioned in a press release discussions with the prime minister on expediting the ongoing NH development works and other projects.

According to sources related to the anti-SilverLine stir, the BJP government at the Centre is unlikely to give the nod to the project at least till the 2024 Lok Sahba election in Kerala, as the BJP leaders in the state have vigorously campaigned against the project.

Many senior BJP leaders were carrying out door-to-door campaigns at households facing eviction threats.

They assured that the BJP government at the Centre would not nod to the project. “However, the BJP national leadership may not blindly oppose the project as the CPM could use it to unleash a political campaign that the BJP was trying to sabotage Kerala’s development. Hence, the Centre would keep citing technical objections like incomplete project reports and objections by railway authorities,” said sources.

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(Published 27 December 2022, 18:09 IST)

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