"Political Vendetta": M V Govindan Slams Centre for Excluding PWD Minister from Inauguration of NH Projects

M V Govindan, state secretary of CPI(M), said that failing to give due representation to Kerala at the inauguration ceremony of national highway projects is an insult to the state. Addressing a press conference, he said the party strongly protests the exclusion of the PWD minister from the program.

He said the inauguration of the national highway projects should have been a moment of pride for Kerala and should have been treated as an event beyond party politics. Instead, he stated, the ceremony was turned into a political program of the central government. He added that the development of National Highway 66 had stalled earlier after former Chief Minister Oommen Chandy stated that national highway expansion in Kerala was difficult due to land acquisition issues. M V Govindan said the project moved forward only after LDF came to power and held discussions to clarify the importance of the project for the state.

He said that the PWD minister P A Muhammed Riyas played a key role in coordinating the project and resolving issues related to land acquisition. However, the minister himself was not included in the inauguration ceremony even though he heads the Public Works Department of Kerala and also represents the district through which one of the inaugurated highway stretches passes.

He pointed out that the Kerala government had contributed ₹5,580 crore for the project through KIIFB. He said the amount was later adjusted against the state’s borrowing limit by the central government, effectively increasing Kerala’s financial liability to ₹11,160 crore. According to him, unlike Kerala, no other state has contributed funds for land acquisition for NH-66, which passes through five states—Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu—stretching from Panvel to Kanyakumari.

He also added that the Indian National Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party had earlier jointly opposed the land acquisition for the highway project in several parts of Kerala. The CPI(M) recalled that leaders including V M Sudheeran, P K Krishnadas, P C George and Suresh Gopi had participated in protests against the project at the time.

M V Govindan further alleged that the BJP had even brought soil from Nandigram and symbolically dumped it at Keezhattur as part of the anti-highway agitation. He said those who had opposed the project earlier are now attending the inauguration ceremony.

He added that the first stretch of the highway being inaugurated also carries a significant contribution from Kerala, as it was constructed by the Uralungal Labour Contract Cooperative Society. According to him, the complete exclusion of the PWD Minister and the department reflects political vendetta. He termed the move a sign of authoritarian tendencies and said the party would strongly protest against it.