Adani-run Vizhinjam port crucial for Kerala, will support if UDF returns to power—Congress's Satheesan

The Print

2 days ago

He added the Vizhinjam port is crucial for the socio-economic development of the state and the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) will support the group in operating it.
'Rahul ji is attacking Adani, because Narendra Modi is helping the Adani Group. We have seen many reports. I don't want to go into any merits of those reports. But it's very clear that illegally, they helped the Adani Group in many ways at many places,' Satheesan told ThePrint in an interview.
Thiruvananthapuram: Senior Congress member and Leader of the Opposition in Kerala Assembly V.D. Satheesan has said his party will continue to support the Adani Group-operated Vizhinjam port if it comes to power after the elections next year, stressing the seaport is crucial for the state's all-round development.
'When we were in power, we invited the Adani Group to make the Vizhinjam port. We invited because it was very difficult to get a partner with the government to do that. Adani has been constructing ports across the country. They are experts. So we invited. He is continuing. We will come back in '26, we will support. This is for the socioeconomic development of the state. The port is very important. Our ambition is that Kerala should make a port city, just like Dubai or Singapore,' Satheesan said.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has been attacking the Adani Group, alleging the group and Modi government are protecting each other.
In November last year, Gandhi demanded the businessman be arrested after Gautam Adani, his nephew Sagar Adani and another key executive, Vneet Jaain, were charged by the US Department of Justice with being part of an alleged scheme to bribe Indian government officials with over $250 million to advance the group's solar projects.
Adani's lawyer Mukul Rohtagi had said there were no specific charges against the businessman or his associates and the accusations of bribery are very general.
The Adani Group is currently constructing the Vizhinjam seaport located in Thiruvananthapuram under the public–private partnership mode. The first phase of the project has been completed and was inaugurated 2 May by PM Modi.
Also Read: Kerala's Vizhinjam port inauguration brings CPI(M), BJP and Adani together; Congress out
'No infighting in party'
Satheesan also denied any infighting in the state Congress, saying there might be disagreements as there is inner-party democracy, unlike the ruling CPI(M) where Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan's decision is obeyed by all.
'There is no infighting in the Congress. These are media creations. Some media are scrutinising the Congress party through a microscopic lens. The Congress has inner-party democracy, not like the CPI(M)… Pinarayi Vijayan is a dictator. When he says something, everybody agrees,' Satheesan told ThePrint, adding the Congress works on consensus.
He claimed there is significant anti-incumbency in the state against the Pinarayi Vijayan government and it was evident during the Nilambur bypoll which the CPI(M)-led LDF candidate lost by over 11,000 votes to the Congress' Aryadan Shoukath.
The result, however, caused some rumblings within the Congress after former LoP and senior party leader Ramesh Chennithala openly said he was not credited with the party's victories nor called 'captain' by anyone when he led the team.
The Nilambur victory was the Congress' fourth in assembly bypolls conducted to five seats in the state since the second Pinarayi Vijayan-led government came to power in 2021.
Last year, the Congress retained Thrikkakkara, Puthuppally and Palakkad seats and the LDF Chelakkara. 'They (the LDF) retained only one seat in the five bypolls—Chelakkara. But even there, their vote share reduced marginally. In Chelakkara, there's strong anti-incumbency,' he said.
Satheesan claimed the state government has been taking credit for central government projects such as the widening of the National Highway 66 and the Vizhinjam port, which was originally initiated during the previous UDF government led by Oommen Chandy.
The highway project, a major infrastructure undertaking and a flagship pitch of the LDF's third term, involves upgrading over a 600-km stretch from Kasaragod in northern Kerala to Thiruvananthapuram in the south. Although discussions began in 2010, the project gained momentum after the first Pinarayi Vijayan government agreed to shoulder 25 percent of the land acquisition cost, an estimated Rs 5,748 crore.
Similarly, the Adani-operated Vizhinjam port has remained a point of contention between the LDF and the UDF. Initial work on the project began under the Congress government led by K. Karunakaran in 1991. Later, the LDF's E.K. Nayanar government also advanced the project, but it never took off due to various reasons, including protests from local fishermen.
In 2014, it was revived under the Oommen Chandy-led Congress government, with the foundation stone laid the following year, after which full-fledged construction began in 2016.
Satheesan also claimed the state's fiscal health is at its worst, affecting the day-to-day operations of government institutions like medical colleges and hindering welfare measures.
He said the Congress-led UDF has already begun preparations for the 2026 elections, undertaking multiple initiatives including for strengthening the organisation. 'We have not decided on the CM candidate. It will be decided by the AICC…. Right now, I am not a CM candidate. If I concentrated on that, my focus would shift. My and my team's concentration is on bringing back the UDF to power,' he said.
The leader also said the BJP will not emerge as a major force in the state in the next assembly elections, adding they ended their electoral drought in the state—the party won the Thrissur seat—in the 2024 polls due to the perception the Modi government would return with over 400 seats.
He said Suresh Gopi's personal influence as a film star also played a role in him winning the seat for the BJP.
The party, which contested 16 seats, saw its vote share rise to 16.68 percent, up from 13 percent in 2019, when it contested 15 seats.
'No comments on Tharoor'
Satheesan refused to comment on the perceived growing closeness of Shashi Tharoor with the BJP, saying the Thiruvananthapuram MP is a Congress Working Committee (CWC) member ranked above him.
'I have no comments on Tharoor's comments on other things because he is a member of the CWC. He is a leader, and that decision has to be taken by the high command,' Satheesan said.
However, regarding Tharoor's allegation that he was not invited to campaign in the Nilambur bypolls, Satheesan clarified all UDF MPs and Congress MLAs campaigned there together without needing a formal invitation.
Tharoor's relationship with the Congress soured this year after the Thiruvananthapuram MP praised the Narendra Modi government on several occasions, including during Operation Sindoor. His comments were openly disowned by the party leadership.
Later, Tharoor himself acknowledged having disagreements with the party leadership and said he would raise those issues internally. He also stated he wasn't invited to campaign in Nilambur. All Congress MPs, including Wayanad MP and national leader Priyanka Gandhi, campaigned.
'All the UDF MPs except him (Tharoor) came to Nilambur. This is not a family marriage function, it's a byelection. All the MPs and all the MLAs, 41 MLAs of the UDF, came to Nilambur. All the 17 MPs except Shashi Tharoor came to Nilambur without invitation,' Satheesan said, adding that CWC members including K.C. Venugopal, Kodikkunnil Suresh, Ramesh Chennithala and K. Sudhakaran actively campaigned.
Satheesan insisted that Tharoor or any other leaders are not being sidelined in the Congress unit in Kerala and that everyone works together as a team. He added that he himself had campaigned for Tharoor during elections.
When asked whether the party could fight the Assembly elections without Tharoor, he said, 'He is a Congress MP, a Working Committee member. And we hope he will be with us.'
(Edited by Ajeet Tiwari)
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