CHENNAI: Left parties on Wednesday sharply criticised the Union government for rejecting the Metro rail proposals for Coimbatore and Madurai, calling the move discriminatory and detrimental to the State’s urban development.

In a statement, CPM State secretary P Shanmugam said the Centre’s decision, reportedly based on the 2017 National Metro Rail Policy requiring a population of over 20 lakh, relied on outdated 2011 Census figures. He said both Coimbatore and Madurai have seen substantial population growth over the past 15 years, along with recent expansions of their corporation limits, and therefore fully qualify for Metro connectivity.

CPI State Secretary M Veerapandian also criticised the decision, stating that TN is one of India’s fastest-urbanising States and its major cities face severe traffic congestion. Denial of approval at this stage, he said, reflected the Union government’s biased approach towards Tamil Nadu.