Minister for Health K. Muraleedharan on Thursday accused Union Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural Gas Suresh Gopi of thwarting the State’s efforts to secure an AIIMS as the two continued their public exchange over the long-pending project.

Mr. Muraleedharan said in Palakkad that Mr. Gopi’s recent statements suggested that AIIMS would not come to Keralam. Mr. Muraleedharan said the State wanted the institute and would welcome it at any suitable location.

The government would send a detailed letter to the Centre after examining the proceedings in the High Court and would approach Union Health Minister J.P. Nadda again, he said.

He also took a dig at Mr. Gopi over his statement that he would not seek votes again without laying the foundation stone for AIIMS in Keralam. Mr. Muraleedharan said the BJP had finished third in all Assembly segments in Mr. Gopi’s Lok Sabha constituency in the recent election. “Suresh Gopi does not want to face the electorate one more time. That is why he made such a statement,” Mr. Muraleedharan said.

Dispute over location

The remarks came amid an escalating dispute over the location of the proposed AIIMS. Mr. Gopi has backed Thrissur, while the State has said it is open to any suitable site. Mr. Gopi has challenged Mr. Muraleedharan to discuss the issue with him, but the Health Minister has dismissed the challenge.

Mr. Muraleedharan dismissed the protests over the functioning of government hospitals, saying the Opposition had raised different complaints at different stages.

“First, they said there was no medicine. Then they raised allegations of wrong treatment. When we looked into that, they started saying there were not enough staff. The personnel shortage did not begin today or yesterday. We are addressing the issue,” he said.

On the Kannur protests, he said he had not transferred any doctor from Pariyaram Medical College and that the doctors there had been appointed during the previous Pinarayi Vijayan government.

He said the protests were linked to the upcoming Assembly session and that he would respond to the allegations accordingly there.