Written by Shaju PhilipThiruvananthapuram | Updated: September 26, 2025 04:46 PM IST 3 min readSuresh Gopi has reiterated his stand that the project should come up in Alappuzha. (Source: FB)BJP leaders in Kerala have distanced the party from Union minister Suresh Gopi’s demand for an All India Institute Of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) to be established in Alappuzha district. Gopi, a Malayalam movie star-turned-politician, is the BJP’s only Lok Sabha MP from Kerala.The establishment of an AIIMS has been a long-standing demand of the Kerala government, which has even set aside 150 acres of land for this purpose at Kinalur in Kozhikode. However, Gopi, has reiterated his stand that the project should come up in Alappuzha.The MP from Thrissur, who is also the the Union Minister of State for Petroleum, Natural Gas and Tourism, said during his recent grassroots-level interaction, “Culvert Sabha”, in his constituency: “Establishing AIIMS is crucial for the development of the coastal district Alappuzha, which lags behind all other districts. If there are objections to it, the next choice will be Thrissur.” He said the matter would be taken up with the Prime Minister and the Union Health Minister.Gopi’s choice of Alappuzha has not gone down well with his party colleagues in Kerala, who had wanted to leave it to the BJP-led Union government to make the decision. In the last two days, several leaders have come out and distanced themselves from Gopi’s stance on the issue.Senior BJP leader and the party’s state general secretary, M T Ramesh, said, “It may be his (Gopi) personal view. BJP wants AIIMS to be established in Kerala. It can be any district and it is up to the Union government to take a call as per its criteria. AIIMS is not meant for a particular district. What Suresh Gopi said could be his personal opinion.”Another senior BJP leader and former Union minister, V Muraleedharan, also echoed the same view. “This is not an issue of the party.It is the government that takes the decision. The BJP state unit is of the view that Kerala wants AIIMS. Gopi, as a minister, has raised his opinion. The Union government has not so far asked the BJP state unit regarding the location of the AIIMS in Kerala. The state government has suggested the location. The Union government will examine it and take a decision,” he said.Story continues below this adGopi, however, did not budge. “I have said what I had to say. I have only one stand. It is the same stand as stated by me in 2016,” he told the media.Stay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram© The Indian Express Pvt LtdTags:KeralaSuresh Gopi