Thrissur : Union Minister Suresh Gopi on Friday said an AIIMS could be established in Thrissur only if the Keralam government provides the required land.
The Keralam government has long been demanding that the Centre allot an All India Institute of Medical Sciences to the state.
Speaking at an event here, Thrissur MP Gopi said he had never promised an AIIMS in the district during any election campaign and that the demand for the institute in Thrissur was raised only after the election.
"Regarding AIIMS, no such statement was made during any election campaign. You can check all my speeches. It was only after the election that it was said Thrissur was eligible for AIIMS," the union minister of state for Petroleum and Natural Gas said.
"I support the view that Thrissur is eligible for it, too. AIIMS will be established in Thrissur only if the Keralam government decides to provide the land," he added.
Gopi said adequate land would be required to establish the institute and pointed out that around 400 acres were available in Madakkathara panchayat.
He said land was available at Mannuthy and near the Police Academy.
Gopi alleged that the previous government had shown reluctance over the issue and urged the present government not to do so.
"The previous government showed a lot of reluctance regarding this. May this government not show such reluctance," he said.
He called for a joint effort involving himself, the mayor and the seven MLAs from the district to work towards bringing AIIMS to Thrissur.
Gopi said that if the performance of elected representatives was assessed against the promises they had made, the performance of MPs who represented Thrissur over the past 25 years should also be reviewed.
"If someone says, 'You promised this, but it did not happen, and something else happened instead,' there is no culture of accountability in Kerala anyway. If it comes to that, we would have to audit the performance of MPs elected from Thrissur over the past 25 years," he said.
This report was published from a wire feed. Apart from the headline, the EdexLive Desk has not edited the copy.