“I welcome the honourable Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Kerala”- Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s opening line while addressing the gathering at the inauguration of Kollam byline was met with booing. As the CM was ready to speak his next line, the intensity of the booing and Swamy Ayyappa chants by BJP supporters in the crowd grew.
Clearly miffed, the CM sternly told the crowd, “It seems like a lot of people have come here just to heckle. Don’t think this is a meeting to hoot and make noises. It is better to maintain discipline during such occasions.” Despite the warning from the CM, the heckling and chanting continued for a few seconds.
Pinarayi Vijayan continued with his speech, where he briefly explained the genesis of the project. "When LDF government came to power, we had met the PM as part of normal courtesy. When we met the PM, he told me that many things are not been implemented well in Kerala. When I asked him for an example, he said GAIL pipeline. He was right, the GAIL pipeline had been facing blocks. I told him that when we meet next, there will surely be a change in the situation. Kerala has kept its promise to him; I can say that confidently. If the floods had not happened, the GAIL pipeline would have been inaugurated now,” he said.
After inaugurating the Kollam bypass, Narendra Modi addressed the gathering, opening his speech with a line in Malayalam.
“We have often seen that infrastructure projects get stalled for various reasons. Public money is wasted due to cost and time over-runs. We decided that this culture of wastage of public money cannot continue. Through PRAGATI, we are accelerating projects and overcoming problems. I was surprised to see that some projects are delayed by 20 to 30 years. It is a crime to deprive the common man of the benefits of a project for such a long time. Till now, I have reviewed more than 250 projects worth approximately 12 lakh crore rupees under PRAGATI. Atal ji believed in the power of connectivity and we are taking his vision forward. From national highways to rural roads, pace of construction has almost doubled as compared to the previous government,” the PM said.
The 13.5 km bypass covers four stretches – Mevaram to Ayathil, Ayathil to Kallumthazham, Kallumthazham to Kadavur and Kadavur to Kavanad.
PWD minister G Sudhakaran was also heckled when he started speaking.
Kerala Governor Sathasivam P, Kollam MLA and actor Mukesh Kumar, O Rajagopal, the lone BJP MLA, BJP Rajya Sabha MP and actor Suresh Gopi and Kollam MP NK Premachandran shared the dais with the PM.