Kerala government rejects Hibi Eden MP's proposal to relocate capital to Ernakulam
Synopsis
A private bill was introduced in the Lok Sabha by MP Hibi Eden in March demanding the relocation of Kerala's capital from Thiruvananthapuram to Kochi. As a result, the union government requested the Kerala chief secretary's opinion on the matter.
Thiruvananthapuram: A private bill proposed by MP Hibi Eden that calls for relocating the capital of Kerala from Thiruvananthapuram to Ernakulam has drawn vehement opposition from the Kerala government. Kerala appealed to the Union government to reject the proposal. The private bill was introduced in the Lok Sabha by Hibi Eden in March. As a result, the union government requested the Kerala chief secretary's opinion on the matter.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan claimed that moving the capital is not necessary in a letter to the union government.
Due to its strategic location in Kerala, Ernakulam was suggested as the new capital in Hibi's bill. The bill claimed that getting to Thiruvananthapuram, which is located in the southernmost region, presents substantial difficulties for people from the northern districts.
The state government, on the other hand, claims that Hibi Eden proposed the bill without fully taking into account the costs and other challenges involved in moving the capital to Ernakulam. The Communist Party of India (Marxist) disputes if Hibi's opinion on the relocation of the capital is consistent with that of the Congress party.
Meanwhile, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor said that the party has not discussed the matter and that the proposal was "wholly without merit". Additionally, he made the observation that it seemed odd that the Central government had written to the State government in response to a Private Member's Bill.
"We had proposed a Bill for the allocation of HC Benches in state capitals, but neither the state government nor the Chief Justice of the High Court ever took it up for such a consultation. It seems mischievous to take the matter up as if it were a serious proposition," said Tharoor.
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