The DMK on Friday voiced its opposition to the Centre’s decision to ‘privatise’ airports in the country. The principal opposition party in Tamil Nadu alleged that this move usurped the right and autonomy of the states where the airports are present.
In an apparent reference to the Centre deciding to lease out three airports, including the one at Thiruvananthapuram, DMK President MK Stalin described the decision as "unilateral" and demanded its revocation. "The Centre's unilateral decision to privatise airports usurps the rights and autonomy from the State," he said in a tweet. "It violates the pledge made in 2003 that any proposal concerning airport privatisation would be made only in consultation with the state government and must be revoked," Stalin added.
The BJP-led NDA government had earlier decided to lease out airports at Jaipur, Guwahati and Thiruvananthapuram through public-private partnership (PPP) mode to Adani Enterprises, a move criticised by the opposition.
Incidentally, the ruling CPI(M) in Kerala had convened an all-party meeting on Thursday and demanded for the withdrawal of the Union Cabinet decision to lease out the airport at Thiruvananthapuram.
Adani Enterprises has won the rights to run six airports-- Lucknow, Ahmedabad, Jaipur, Mangaluru, Guwahati and Thiruvananthapuram--through the PPP model after a competitive bidding process in February, 2019.
The Kerala government has been opposing the involvement of the Adani group in managing the airport since last year. CM Pinarayi had written to PM Modi questioning the process of allowing a single private bidder with no experience to win the bidding.
They moved the Supreme Court in February to challenge the Airport Authority of India (AAI), pointing out that the company was inexperienced when it came to handling airports and that the bid was in violation of the Airports Authority of India Act, 1994.
The state government further alleged that it had quoted the same commercial amount as the Adani group, who won the bid. In addition to this, they argued that the government had the experience to run and manage the airport. They alleged that handing over the airport to the Adani group was ‘arbitrary, motivated by mala fides and devoid of public interest’.