SilverLine project: opposition MPs are misleading the people

Opposition MPs are misleading the people on the question of central approval for the SilverLine project.

UDF MPs have come out with a new campaign claiming that the DPR Kerala submitted for the SilverLine project is incomplete and that the central government is therefore unlikely to approve the project. They are running this campaign by holding up the Union Railway Minister's reply to a question on the subject in the Lok Sabha. The UDF MPs' finding is that this reply has revealed some great thing the Kerala government hid from the people, and that the Centre is not going to approve the DPR Kerala submitted.

It is common knowledge that the central government has not given final approval for the SilverLine project. That approval is what the state government is trying to obtain. What MPs should be doing is applying maximum pressure to protect the state's interests as the details the Centre asked for are submitted. Unfortunately, the state's development is not the UDF MPs' priority. What they are trying to do now is spread the claim that SilverLine is going to collapse at the hurdle of central approval. The plan is to throw dust in people's eyes by spreading their wish as if it were fact.

Whenever any project is submitted for approval, asking for details for greater clarity is only normal procedure. The Railway Minister told both the delegation of Left MPs and the UDF MPs this when they met him. The minister said months ago that Kerala had been asked for more details and that the Centre would decide only after examining them. That is the same thing in the reply the Railway Minister gave in the Lok Sabha today. It is this routine procedure that is being interpreted as meaning the Centre is unlikely to approve SilverLine and spread as if some great discovery had been made. For political motives, the UDF MPs are deceiving the people with false propaganda. This stand is thoroughly unfortunate. We appeal to UDF leaders to correct this narrow attitude and to stand together to complete the SilverLine project, which is going to play a decisive role in Kerala's all-round growth.

Com. Elamaram Kareem MP
General Secretary