A parallel inauguration of the Ramanattukara-Vengalam reach of the national highway 66 was held in Kozhikode, Kerala, on Wednesday (March 11, 2026) by leaders of the ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF) in protest against the alleged exclusion of State Public Works Department (PWD) Minister P.A. Mohamed Riyas from the official inauguration ceremony opened by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Kochi.
The protest event, launched with a roadshow near Ramanattukara, was led by Mr. Riyas and local party workers who shouted slogans against the Union government flaying the “exclusion” of the Minister from the official function. LDF leaders and elected local body representatives were among the protesters who also accused Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders of planning the “deliberate exclusion”.
The roadshow led by PWD Minister P.A. Mohamed Riyas on the Ramanattukara-Vengalam reach in Kozhikode on Wednesday. | Video Credit: K. RAGESH
“The exclusion is a humiliation to the State. This (kind of exclusion) will never support a democratic system. People of our State are very much aware of our contributions to the project realisation“, said Mr. Riyas.
He added that apart from “mere fund approvals”, there were a lot of human intervention which supported the speedy execution of the infrastructure project.
