The Keralam Assembly on Thursday passed a substantive motion under Rule 130 urging the Centre to review its decision to bifurcate the Mangaluru region from the Palakkad railway division, terming it a major setback to the State’s railway development aspirations. The motion was adopted amid opposition from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLAs in the House.
Replying to the discussion on the motion, Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan said the general sentiment in the House was that the decision was against the interests of Keralam, except for the dissent registered by BJP MLAs. The Railway Ministry took the crucial decision to bifurcate the Palakkad division without informing the State government or elected representatives from Keralam. No communication regarding the decision was made to the State before it was taken, he said.
Although MPs from Keralam registered a strong protest against the decision, it was not reversed. Mr. Satheesan said that when the erstwhile undivided Andhra Pradesh was bifurcated, Telangana was given the administrative headquarters of the South Central Railway. To offset the loss suffered by Andhra Pradesh, a new South Coast Railway zone was created exclusively for the State.
Similarly, Karnataka has the South Western Railway zone, while Chennai is the headquarters of the Southern Railway. Considering these factors, the Centre should be ready to compensate Keralam for the loss incurred, either by cancelling the bifurcation decision or through other means, the Chief Minister said.
BJP’s stance
He also informed the Assembly that he would meet the Union Railway Minister soon to press for the demand. However, contrary to the general sentiment in the House, BJP MLA V. Muraleedharan said it was unfortunate that the Keralam Assembly had taken up a motion against an administrative decision of a Union Ministry. Responding to the remark, Mr. Satheesan said the House had taken up the matter precisely because it was an administrative decision. If it had been a political decision, it would have been taken up outside the House, he said.
Speaker Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan also informed the Assembly that he had written to the Centre, in his capacity as Speaker, urging it to reverse the decision in view of the general sentiment in the State. The House later passed the motion, with the dissent note of the BJP MLAs in the House.
Published - October 15, 2026 09:09 pm IST