Thrissur, 06 Oct (H.S.):

Union Minister Suresh Gopi has reiterated that Thrissur is the most suitable location for establishing an All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Kerala, while arguing that Alappuzha would be preferable on economic grounds.

Speaking to reporters, Gopi said his primary wish was to see Kerala receive an AIIMS. However, he maintained that Thrissur offered the peaceful environment required for the institution and questioned its exclusion from the locations proposed by the state government.

He alleged that the decision to leave Thrissur out of the nine sites submitted by Kerala was politically motivated because he represented the constituency as a BJP MP.

“If the state decides that AIIMS should not come to Thrissur because I am a BJP MP, it will come there itself,” he said, asserting his position in the dispute over the proposed location.

Gopi said he was tired of repeatedly explaining his stand. He also claimed that an AIIMS would not be sanctioned for Kerala without his knowledge.

The Union minister challenged Kerala Health Minister K. Muraleedharan to sit with him for a discussion if he had the courage, adding that the Chief Minister had understood the issues involved.

Muraleedharan had earlier said that land belonging to the newsprint factory at Velloor in Kottayam district would also be considered for the proposed institution.

The remarks underline continuing differences over where Kerala’s long-awaited AIIMS should be established, with the Union minister strongly backing Thrissur and the state examining other locations.

Meanwhile, Vice-President C.P. Radhakrishnan, during his visit to Kerala, said the state would be considered for an AIIMS.

He expressed confidence that Kerala’s aspiration for the institution would be realised soon. His comments have renewed expectations, even as the competing proposals and political exchanges continue to shape the debate over a suitable site for the proposed medical institution.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Arun Lakshman