AIIMS will definitely come to Kerala, says union minister Suresh Gopi

Thrissur (Kerala): Union Minister Suresh Gopi on Thursday said Kerala will definitely get an All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS). Speaking to reporters in Guruvayur here, Gopi also hinted at another major central government project coming to the state apart from AIIMS.

Asked about new projects expected in 2026, Gopi said he would not reveal details as they might get “eliminated”. “You know about one project that was eliminated. I will show the documents of it,” he said, indicating a proposed forensic laboratory.

However, he said another major project would soon be allotted to the state. “Amit Shah ji has given another major project. Let us see whether land will be allocated for it,” he said. On queries about announcements if Prime Minister Narendra Modi visits Thiruvananthapuram following the BJP’s victory in the capital city corporation, Gopi said any such declaration would be made by the Prime Minister.

“He will not come to announce AIIMS. If his pet project, the Smart City, is not fully implemented in Thiruvananthapuram Corporation, then he will speak about it. It will be more about the Corporation,” Gopi said. Responding to further questions on AIIMS, he said, “Definitely, AIIMS will come to Kerala. It will come in its organic way, not because of anyone’s individual skill.”

Also read President Murmu inaugurates IGNOU regional and skill centre in Odisha’s Rairangpur

Gopi said he has maintained a consistent stand on AIIMS since 2015. “If AIIMS is not established in Alappuzha, it is deserved by Thrissur. I have said during my election campaign that I will be an MP of Kerala,” he said. He added that during his campaign, he maintained that through the people of Thrissur, he would be an MP for the entire state.

Gopi has been promising the establishment of an AIIMS in Kerala since he began campaigning in Thrissur. The state government has also written to Centre regarding allocation of AIIMS multiple times. During the last parliamentary election, Gopi had also demanded the extension of the Kochi Metro to Coimbatore. The film actor became the first BJP leader to win a Lok Sabha seat from Kerala in 2024.