Minister Sivankutty welcomes PM Modi to 'developed Nemom', BJP hits back
Thiruvananthapuram (PTI): Ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's roadshow here for April 9 Assembly elections, Kerala General Education Minister V Sivankutty and BJP state leadership on Saturday locked horns on social media over development issues.
Sivankutty, LDF candidate from Nemom, in a Facebook post welcomed Modi for the roadshow in the constituency later in the day and highlighted a series of development projects.
The BJP state unit took a swipe at the minister through another Facebook post sarcastically questioning his claims.
In the FB post, Sivankutty said he was happy that the Prime Minister would conduct a roadshow from Killipalam junction towards Pappanamcode, as it would provide an opportunity to witness the development initiatives carried out in Nemom.
The senior CPI(M) leader is also the sitting MLA in Nemom, one of the constituencies where BJP pins its hopes the most in the upcoming Assembly polls.
The minister invited PM Modi to witness what he described as a "developed Nemom".
He listed several projects along the proposed route of the PM's scheduled roadshow, including a newly established ITI at Chala built at a cost of Rs 18 crore and the state office of SSK, which he said was constructed by the Kerala government after alleged denial of central assistance.
The minister further pointed to infrastructure such as the Deputy Director of Education's office complex, and a new building for Chala school constructed at a cost of Rs 4.8 crore.
He also highlighted road development and beautification works from Karamana junction to Pravachambalam, undertaken at a cost of Rs 5 crore, along with new street lighting installations.
Sivankutty said additional projects included multi-storey school buildings at various institutions, road upgradation works, and a career development centre built at a cost of Rs 6 crore.
While welcoming the Prime Minister, Sivankutty also urged him to explain the delay in disbursing Rs 1,500 crore allegedly due to Kerala under the SSK scheme, stating that the funds are meant for supporting children from economically weaker and marginalised sections.
He further claimed that salaries of around 7,000 teaching and non-teaching staff under the scheme are currently being paid by the state government.
In its social media post, the BJP's state leadership responded sarcastically to Sivankutty's claims of development by listing a series of prominent landmarks in and around Thiruvananthapuram, suggesting that the PM could see them by simply turning in different directions.
"Turn a little to the right and you can see the Thiruvananthapuram International Airport. Go straight from there and you will see the Vizhinjam seaport. Turn left and you can see the Thumba rocket launch centre. From there, if you go straight, you will reach Thiruvananthapuram railway station. Turn right and you will see the Padmanabhaswamy temple," it said.
"Go straight and you will reach Kovalam international beach. And if you look up from there, you can see the sky," the post said in Malayalam.
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'I go to Parliament to create impact, not ruckus': Raghav Chadha rubbishes AAP's allegations
New Delhi (PTI): "I go to Parliament to create impact, not ruckus," said Rajya Sabha MP Raghav Chadha on Saturday as he rejected allegations levelled against him by the Aam Aadmi Party, calling them "false" and part of a "coordinated campaign".
In a video, Chadha dismissed claims that he did not join opposition walkouts, terming the charge a "blatant lie".
He challenged his detractors to cite even a single instance where he failed to participate and said parliamentary proceedings are recorded through CCTV cameras.
Refuting another allegation that he refused to sign a motion related to the Chief Election Commissioner, Chadha said no party leader had asked him, either formally or informally, to sign it. He added that several other MPs from his party had also not signed the motion.
The MP said his focus in Parliament has been on raising public issues such as GST, income tax, air pollution in Delhi, water concerns in Punjab, public healthcare, education, railway passenger issues, menstrual health, unemployment and inflation.
Chadha said that he goes to Parliament to "create impact not ruckus" as it runs on taxpayers' money and it is his responsibility to highlight their concerns. "Every lie will be exposed," he said.
