V.K. Sreekandan, elected to the Lok Sabha in 2019 from the Palakkad constituency representing the Congress party, exudes confidence that his track record will speak volumes for his bid for a second term in Parliament. He spoke at length during a chat with The Hindu.
What do you project as your achievements in the past five years?
I could primarily bring to the government’s notice some major issues of Palakkad that were never raised in the past 25 years. The Palakkad-Kozhikode greenfield highway, the work of which is currently on, is one of the significant achievements. As much as ₹1,800 crore has been spent for land acquisition. Out of the 121-km greenfield highway, 61 km is in Palakkad district.
The industrial corridor connecting business hubs of Coimbatore and Kochi is another important achievement. About 2,000 acres was already acquired in Pudussery panchayat alone. And in Kannambra, we acquired 400 acres.
I am proud to project the new pit line being constructed at Palakkad at a cost of ₹46 crore. It is the first pit-line in the State being set up by the Railways in recent decades. We expect it to be completed in seven months, and it can transform Palakkad into a railway hub in Kerala.
“I have succeeded in giving the people of Palakkad a feeling that they have an MP”V.K. SreekandanPalakkad MP
I could bring in ₹116 crore for the construction of 16 village roads under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojna, lifting Kerala to the second position from the 12th position the State was earlier in. I fetched ₹55 lakh from the National Health Mission for 12 sub centres, and ₹6 crore for four primary health centres. In the past five years, we got ₹3 crore from the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund for medical treatment.
Palakkad will soon have the State’s first municipal bus-stand terminal with MP funds. As much as ₹2.26 crore was spent for the terminal.
How did you attend to the needs of Attappady tribal hills?
I paid special attention to Attappady in the past five years. Roads were constructed to five tribal hamlets spending ₹18 crore under the Pradhan Mantri Janjati Adivasi Nyaya Abhiyan scheme. During the COVID-19 , when the country went through its worst phase, I could introduce internet connectivity to 12 remote hamlets of Attappady using MP funds.
The ambulance with ICU set-up given to the Government Tribal Specialty Hospital at Kottathara, Attappady, remains the only one in the district.
How successful do you think you were as a member, with the BJP ruling the Centre and the LDF ruling the State?
I have succeeded in giving the people of Palakkad a feeling that they have an MP. But the fact remains that we never had the support of the Centre and the State government.
The LDF says Congress MPs had failed to speak for Kerala in Parliament. Do you agree?
That’s a wrong allegation. We raised our voices louder than ever for matters concerning Kerala. Sadly, the Narendra Modi government totally ignored Kerala. The MPs were denied their bona fide rights. As many as 143 of us were thrown out of Parliament when we protested. Never before did the country see such an autocratic rule as that of Mr. Modi.
Are you confident of representing Palakkad for the second term?
A. Of course, considering my performance. But ultimately it is for the party leadership to decide who should be the candidate in Palakkad. As a die-hard Congressman, I will go by the party decision.
