Kerala's Leader of Opposition, VD Satheesan, said "democracy was murdered in the Parliament premises" after UDF MPs protesting the SilverLine Project were allegedly manhandled by security personnel on Thursday.
Satheesan has claimed a conspiracy behind the assault on the MPs from Kerala and has demanded a probe. "The MPs had peacefully protested but they were brutally attacked, even woman MP Ramya Haridas was not spared," he said.
"What provoked the police, the nation wants to know.
This happened on the day when the chief minister was meeting the prime minister to discuss the SilverLine project."
'Middlemen involved'
Satheesan has claimed the presence of Delhi-based middlemen behind the incident. He said they were the same team that intervened in the gold smuggling case investigation.
"For the last one week, middlemen based out of Delhi have been trying to reach an agreement on the SilverLine between CPM and Sangh Parivar.
"These are the same people who put an abrupt end to the central agencies' investigation into the gold smuggling case during the previous LDF government's term."
'CM repeating himself'
The Congress leader has said that Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had nothing new to say on the project.
"The chief minister is repeating himself, he keeps saying the state government will bear Rs 33,000 crore and the rest will be given by the Centre and a part will be loan. But the Centre and Railways have clearly stated that they wouldn't give a single paisa.
"The chief minister is reading from an old statement that was prepared before the Centre and the Railways made their stand clear."
Satheesan reiterated that the in-principle approval was given from preparing the DPR and not for the project. "The railway minister made it crystal clear."
He said the state government was proceeding with the SilverLine after giving an undertaking in the court that there won't be any land acquisition now.
Claiming large-scale data fudging as part of the project, Satheesan added: "The victims are not just those who are set to lose their lands, but the whole of Kerala because of the environmental, social and financial impact it is going to have."