Old Facebook post on Kochi Metro link to Thrissur resurfaces as Suresh Gopi denies earlier claim

Union Minister Suresh Gopi’s recent claim that he never said Kochi Metro would be extended to Thrissur has backfired. Social media users have unearthed an old Facebook post from 2019 where Mr. Gopi had clearly called for connecting the Kochi Metro to Thrissur, contradicting his present statement.

Speaking at the ‘SG Coffee Times’ interaction at Puthurkara in Thrissur, recently, the Minister clarified that he had only suggested that once the metro line reaches Angamaly, it should have a branch line through Paliyekkara extending up to Coimbatore, and another branch connecting Nattika, Thriprayar, Guruvayur, and Tanur.

However, his old Facebook post from April 10, 2019 tells a different story. “Travel is the conquest of distance. The struggle to travel remains a daily headache for us. To solve the travel woes between Thrissur and Ernakulam, the Kochi Metro must be extended to Thrissur,” Mr. Gopi had written then.

The contradiction set social media ablaze, inviting sarcastic and derisive comments.

At the same event, Mr. Gopi also stated that he never promised an AIIMS for Thrissur, adding that his demand for the institute in Alappuzha stemmed from the “district’s decline under communism.”

“I am not driven by politics or regionalism,” he said. “Even before becoming an MP from Thrissur, I had said AIIMS should come up in Alappuzha. I’m a man of my word and never go back on what I say.”

Responding to criticism over his earlier use of the word praja (citizen), Mr. Gopi said, “His political remarks are being distorted by hired writers. I’m not afraid of that. My discussions covered issues left unresolved for years. People can see the truth for themselves.”