My stance on AIIMS in Kerala unchanged since 2016: Union Minister Suresh Gopi

Thiruvananthapuram, Sep 26 (PTI) Union Minister of State Suresh Gopi on Friday said his stance on an AIIMS in Kerala is the same as it was in 2016, and there is no change to that.

"I have said what I had to say. I have only one stand. It is the same as stated by me in 2016," the Union Minister of State for Petroleum, Natural Gas and Tourism told reporters here.

His latest statement comes in the wake of his recent remarks calling for an AIIMS in Alappuzha district, with many party leaders terming it as his "personal view" and saying the Centre has to decide where in Kerala it will be set up.

In 2016, Gopi had reportedly said that he would push for an AIIMS in Kerala.

Earlier this week, he had said that he told the Kerala Chief Minister to allocate land in Alappuzha.

The ruling CPI(M) has termed his statement as an attempt to create "unnecessary controversy" on the issue, after the state had given a proposal citing Kozhikode as the ideal site for the medical institute and had also earmarked and acquired land for the same.

On Thursday, BJP state general secretary MT Ramesh had said that the party welcomes the establishment of an All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) anywhere in Kerala.

With regard to Gopi's demand, Ramesh had said it was his personal opinion.

The BJP leader had said it was for the Centre to decide the location of the premier medical institute based on specific parameters and consultations with the state government.

On Friday, BJP leader and former Union Minister of State V Muraleedharan spoke along similar lines, saying that the party's state unit will not be deciding where in Kerala an AIIMS should be set up.

"It is for the central government to decide. The state government has already submitted its proposed location. The Centre will decide on that," he said.

He further said that it was not the BJP's way "to mix politics and development." Meanwhile, AICC general secretary K C Venugopal said that Kerala has been asking for an AIIMS for several years, "but the Centre allowed it for other states and not us." He said that he himself had raised the issue before J P Nadda when he was the union health minister in the first and third Modi governments.

"I was assured that Kerala will get an AIIMS, but beyond that, nothing has happened. Now, a central minister has made an announcement that he wants an AIIMS in Alappuzha.

"We welcome that. We want an AIIMS in Kerala; it does not matter where. We will offer all our support for that," Venugopal, also the MP from Alappuzha Lok Sabha constituency, said. PTI HMP SSK HMP SSK ROH