Union Minister Suresh Gopi on Wednesday welcomed the UDF government's willingness to consider any location suggested by the Centre for setting up an AIIMS in the State, describing it as a "positive step" that could strengthen Kerala's case for getting the premier medical institution.

Speaking to reporters in Thrissur, Mr. Gopi said he had been urging the State government since entering the Rajya Sabha in 2016 to submit multiple locations for consideration in accordance with the Centre's guidelines for establishing an All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS).

"I have been telling the State government right from my Rajya Sabha days that while expressing Kerala's readiness for AIIMS, it should suggest five locations as mandated by the guidelines," he said.

"States that complied with these guidelines were the ones that received AIIMS under the new scheme," he said while replying to a question by reporters.

The Union Minister said the new State government's apparent change in stance was in line with public expectations.

"This change in approach is not merely the government's need; it is the people's demand. I am very happy that the government has understood that requirement and made such a statement. This is a positive step," he said.

The BJP leader said accordingly, he will continue his fight for getting an AIIMS for Kerala.

Mr. Gopi alleged that whenever he raised the issue with former Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, he was told that Kozhikode had already been decided as the location for the proposed AIIMS by the State government.

"Whenever I asked about the location, I was told that Kozhikode had been decided. When I suggested that four more locations should be submitted as per the guidelines, that was not done," he claimed.

The Minister further claimed that during a flight journey in February this year, he had told Mr. Vijayan that Kerala could seriously pursue the AIIMS demand only when the State government was willing to submit five locations as required by the Centre.

Mr. Gopi's remarks come days after Kerala Health Minister K Muraleedharan said the State government was open to any location proposed by the Centre for the AIIMS project.

Mr. Muraleedharan had said that the State government was willing to acquire and hand over the required land without insisting on a particular site.