PM ignoring Kerala: Pinarayi Vijayan

New Delhi: Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan today accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of consistently ignoring Kerala and its demands.

Vijayan, who was yesterday denied permission to meet the prime minister, also alleged the Centre was not paying heed to the country’s federal structure.

The PM has been ignoring Kerala. The Centre’s aversion to Kerala’s demands is leading to the collapse of several industries in the state. When we needed to see the PM and submit our requests, we were not allowed to do so, Vijayan said.

“We need a satisfied state and a strong Centre in the federal system,” Vijayan said, adding that the response of the previous governments to the state’s demands was not as bad as it was now.

For instance, in the case of the Kanjikode rail coach factory, our requests were completely ignored. The Centre’s involvement must indicate a basic understanding of the federal system and the states’ needs. Unfortunately, the central government does not recognise this need. The previous governments understood this. I am not saying that they took all necessary measures. But things were not as bad as they are now, he said.

An all-party delegation from Kerala had yesterday sought permission to meet the prime minister to convey their grievances over the reduced ration allocations to meet the food security needs of the state. They were instead asked to meet the Union minister concerned. 

Vijayan had last week extended support to his Delhi counterpart Arvind Kejriwal, who was on a sit-in at the Lieutenant Governor’s office, against the alleged strike of bureaucrats.