‘Double-engine government’ needed for Kerala’s development: Union Minister Suresh Gopi
He spoke to reporters after visiting the Kollam Junction railway station along with MP NK Premachandran to consider the possibility of preserving heritage buildings at the station.
“I have only one prayer for people to look into the benefits of the double-engine government taken by other states. The exception is Tamil Nadu, which, even if it is not a double-engine government, has managed to bring everything it deserves and has managed to offer them to the people despite its rivals in power at the Centre,” he said on Friday.
“For Kerala to develop, there must either be a BJP government or a situation where the BJP can influence the administration,” the Thrissur MP said.
Referring to a forensic science laboratory project given by the Centre, Gopi said it was initially proposed to be set up in Thrissur, but the state government shifted it to Thiruvananthapuram due to lack of land.
“The Center had asked for 25 acres of land in Thrissur, where another big project will now come up,” he said.
He alleged that the state government may face problems with Thrissur as many development projects are being moved out of the region. “This needs to be explained to the people of Thrissur. Every place should be included for development,” he said.
Gopi said lessons should be learned from the party’s victory in Thiruvananthapuram Corporation and it should be repeated in the Assembly elections.
He also said that he will meet Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw to discuss the maintenance of the heritage building at Kollam railway station premises and its use for tourism purposes.
He added that he will leave for New Delhi on January 5.
Gopi noted that some of the British-era structures in the station have been removed and these can be preserved as heritage structures.
Premachandran said he expects the renovation work at Kollam railway station to be completed on time.
The Kollam MP also said that the old station buildings could be converted into a railway museum.
There is no MLA of the BJP in the current state assembly and Gopi is the only Lok Sabha MP of the saffron party in the state.
