Container ship San Fernando reaches Vizhinjam International Seaport Limited (VISL), in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala.
Credit: PTI Photo
As Kerala's long pending dream of Vizhinjam International Port has become a reality, the CPM-led Left Democratic Front and the Congress-led United Democratic Front are involved in staking claim over the project.
While the ruling Pinarayi Vijayan-led CPM government is making a hype over the project becoming a reality, Congress, which is now in the opposition, is claiming that the long pending project materialised as the Congress government led by Oommen Chandy signed the agreement with Adani Ports in 2015 though a global tendering process.
Congress also flays that opposition leader V D Satheesan was not invited for the formal reception to the maiden mothership on Friday as the Pinarayi Vijayn government wanted to suppress the earlier Congress governments' key roles in making the project materialise.
Congress camps are also widely circulating newspaper cuttings and video footage of the objections raised by the CPM against the project earlier.
Ports Minister V N Vasavan said that Congress Working Committee member Shashi Tharoor, who is Thiruvananthapuram MP, as well as local Congress MLA M Vincent are invited to the function on Friday.
Meanwhile, Tharoor has decided to keep off from the function on Friday to express solidarity with the coastal community aggrieved over the lack of proper rehabilitation, even as he welcomes the port project. He urged that the promises given to the coastal community with regard to rehabilitation and protection of the coast should be fulfilled atleast before the formal commissioning of the port.