Tamil Nadu CM Vijay conducts inspection at Puzhal Central Prison to assess inmate welfare, amenities

The Kerala-Karnataka dispute over dividing the Mangaluru region from the Palakkad Railway Division has brought back memories of a similar situation nearly two decades ago. In 2005, the Railway Board had planned to split the Palakkad Division into Salem Railway Division in Tamil Nadu. At one point, Tamil Nadu threatened to blockade trains passing through Salem, which was then known as Kerala.

The Railway Ministry had initially agreed to Tamil Nadu's demand to create a new Railway Division with its headquarters in Salem. The idea was first conceived in the 1960s and was finally realized during the UPA-I regime led by R. Velu, who was the Union Minister of State for Railways.

While the move was welcomed by political parties and industrialists in Tamil Nadu, it sparked strong protests in Kerala. The then CPI-M Kerala secretary, Pinarayi Vijayan (who later became Chief Minister), opposed the bifurcation, claiming that Kerala was being ignored by the national capital. Veliyam Bhargavan, then CPI state secretary, accused the Centre of giving in to pressure groups from Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, and undermining railway development in Kerala.

In February 2007, as the proposal was taking shape, Kerala Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan strongly expressed his opposition to the project. Tamil Nadu's Agriculture Minister Veerapandi S. Arumugam, a powerful figure in Salem, argued that Kerala's leaders should prioritize their nation's well-being before taking a confrontational stance towards their neighbors.

Despite the opposition, the Salem Railway Division formally came into existence on November 1, 2007. The Division comprised a total route length of several kilometers and was envisioned to boost the development of Tamil Nadu.