DMK opposes Centre's decision to privatise airports

In an apparent reference to the Centre deciding to lease out three airports, including the one at Thiruvananthapuram, DMK President M K Stalin described the decision as "unilateral" and demanded its revocation. 

"The Center's unilateral decision to privatize 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 privatization 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 criticized by the opposition.

Incidentally, the ruling CPI-M in Kerala had convened an all-party meeting on Thursday and demanded the withdrawal of the Union Cabinet's 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.