Kerala railway funding has risen sharply in the 2026-27 allocation, BJP MLA V Muraleedharan said on Thursday, while also demanding that the state government clarify financial allegations linked to the family of opposition leader Pinarayi Vijayan and explain its position on rail and environmental issues.
Speaking at the Assembly media room, Muraleedharan asked the chief minister and the home department to respond to the leads and evidence mentioned in a letter sent by the Enforcement Directorate to the state director general of police. The claims concern four issues referred to in the letter, according to the Times of India report. The report does not include a response from the state government or Vijayan to the allegations.
Muraleedharan also sought an explanation for funds allegedly running into crores of rupees that were reportedly recorded in a diary for the future business plans of former minister Mohamed Riyas. He said Vijayan should step down as leader of opposition, describing his continuation in the post as an embarrassment to the opposition in Kerala. These claims and the resignation demand were part of Muraleedharan’s political statement and were not independently established in the supplied report.
The remarks also covered the proposed resolution on ecologically sensitive areas. Muraleedharan said the BJP would not oppose the resolution but would seek amendments so that the issue reflected Kerala’s environmental conditions and residents’ concerns. He attributed the delay in issuing the final notification to delays by successive state governments and the late submission of documents to the Centre.
Muraleedharan said it was factually incorrect to blame the Centre alone without examining alleged lapses by the state government, including the implementation of National Green Tribunal orders. The supplied report does not specify the individual orders, the documents submitted by the state or the proposed amendments to the resolution.
On railway administration, Muraleedharan rejected claims that the transfer of some stations in the Mangaluru region from the Palakkad division to the Mysuru division amounted to discrimination against Kerala. He said railway divisions and zones are reorganised periodically for administrative reasons.
He cited the transfer of 78 stations from the Palakkad division when the Salem division was created in 2007 during the United Progressive Alliance government. Muraleedharan accused political opponents who had remained silent at the time of now adopting double standards.
According to figures cited by Muraleedharan, Kerala’s average annual railway allocation increased from Rs 372 crore during the UPA period to Rs 3,795 crore in 2026-27. He also said railway projects worth more than Rs 20,000 crore are under way in the state. The projects include multi-tracking and new-line works, 145 road overbridges and underpasses, and redevelopment of 19 stations.
The figures cited at the Assembly media room place railway funding and project execution at the centre of the political debate over Kerala’s connectivity. Further assessment would require official railway allocation documents, project-wise expenditure details and responses from the state government and the people named in the allegations.
