After being snubbed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi for a meeting on Friday, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Saturday accused the Centre of consistently ignoring Kerala and its demands. He alleged that the refusal of the PM to meet the Chief Minster of a State was sufficient proof to suggest that the Centre was not paying heed to the country’s federal structure.
Vijayan told mediapersons that the PM has been ignoring Kerala. He stated that 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,” the Kerala CM 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. He cited the case of the Kanjikode rail coach factory as an example to prove his point.
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, he said.
Past Governments at the Centre understood this situation and took all necessary measures. But things were not as bad as they are now, Vijayan said.
An all-party delegation from Kerala had on Friday sought permission to meet the PM 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. last week, Vijayan had extended support to his Delhi counterpart Arvind Kejriwal over the latter’s decision to stage a sit-in at the lieutenant Governor’s office against the alleged strike by bureaucrats. This is also seen as another reason for inviting Centre’s ire.