Kerala to Stage Protest against Anti-People policies of Centre Today

With the Bharatiya Janata Party-led Centre deciding to hand over the Thiruvananthapuram airport to the Adani Group, dismissing the demand of the state government, every political party in the state, save for the BJP, has been recording its dissent.

The ruling Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI(M)) will hold a state-wide protest against the anti-people policies of the Centre today, August 23. The satyagraha will also be in opposition to the privatisation of airports and is expected to witness the participation of people from all quarters of life including farmers, students and workers.

Satyagraha will be held in lakhs of houses, party offices and offices of mass organisations in the state from 4 p.m. to 4.30 p.m. this afternoon.

“The hard-earned life we managed to create for ourselves through long years of struggle is being given to corporates at throwaway prices by the BJP-led Central Government, even while using the pandemic,” said Ananthalavattam Ananadan, CPI(M) state secretariat member.

The COVID-19 lockdown has resulted in 1.89 crore salaried people losing their jobs. About 50 lakh people have lost their jobs in the organised sector alone. The satyagraha is also being seen as a warning against the Centre’s move to nullify the labor laws. Farmers will protest against what is seen as a pro-corporate EIA 2020 notification.

Read more: Kerala Opposes Centre’s Decision to Hand over Thiruvananthapuram Airport to Adani Group

The CPI(M) will send two lakh emails to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, opposing the move to hand over the Thiruvananthapuram Airport.

“Party workers and representatives at various levels will send emails to Modi to express the state's sentiments in the matter,” CPI(M) state secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan told the media.

A virtual all-party meeting called by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had on Thursday demanded a withdrawal of the union cabinet’s decision to lease out Thiruvananthapuram airport to the Adani Group. The Centre maintained that the bidding process was carried out in a “transparent manner”.

On Friday, the CPI(M) demanded that the Union government hand over the airport to the state government, saying it would not allow its takeover by the Adani Group.

“We will not allow privatisation of the airport. It cannot be handed over to private hands,”,Balakrishnan said. “The centre's aim is to hand over airports to corporates. All airports and seaports are being handed over to the Adanis,” he said.

Alleging that corruption was involved in the Centre's decision, he recalled that Union minister V. Muraleedharan, who has justified the move, had opposed it in 2018. “We need to put pressure on the Union government to change the decision. The state government is prepared to take over the airport. During the pandemic, such a decision by the Centre smacks of huge corruption”, he alleged. He also urged all MPs to intervene in the matter.

Read more: Unemployment Ravages Indian Economy But Resistance Mounts

After the all-party meeting, Vijayan wrote to the PM Modi again, informing him of the decision taken and requested him to reconsider the move. The CM told the meeting that the state government had asked for the management and the operation of the airport with a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) in which it will be the major shareholder.

Union Civil Aviation minister Hardeep Singh Puri had said the Kerala government did not qualify for the bidding process, which was held in a transparent manner.

The state government has been pointing out that the move of the Airport Authority of India (AAI) to hand over the airport to Adani Group was a violation of provisions of the AAI Act and the property rights of the state government.

In a letter to prime minister Modi, shortly after the cabinet decision had come out, Kerala CM pointed out that the decision was taken “ignoring the repeated requests” of the state government to entrust the management of the airport with the special purpose vehicle (SPV) “in which state government is the major stakeholder”.

Vijayan said the Civil Aviation Ministry had in 2003 given an assurance that as and when the induction of a private player was considered, the Centre would factor in the state government's contribution to the development of the airport. The Kerala government had earlier transferred 23.57 acres of land to the AAI free of cost for construction of the international terminal, “subject to the condition that the value of the land would be reflected as Government of Kerala’s share capital in an SPV which would be set up”, Vijayan had said in a letter.

Reflecting the stand of state government and opposition parties except BJP, chief minister made it clear it would be “difficult” for the state to cooperate in implementing the decision.

Read more: Unemployment Ravages Indian Economy But Resistance Mounts

With inputs from PTI