Hyderabad: Prime Minister Narendra Modi formally commissioned the Vizhinjam International Seaport on Friday, May 2, and political battles later claimed that the Vizhinjam Port continued in Kerala. The opposition slammed the Kuomintang government for ignoring the role played by Oommen Chandy, former chief secretary who launched the Vizhinjam Port project.
The leaders of opposition VD Satheesan chose not to attend the ceremony, sharing videos of former Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy at the Kerala General Assembly held at the port of Vizhinjam on June 8, 2015.
His Facebook post read: “Oommen Chandy is no longer with us. However, he lives in the hearts of the people and is an undeletable chapter of history. Those who deliberately forget or rewrite history are also those who remember Oommen Chandy. I wish you all the best for Vizhinjam Port.”
He accused the state government led by the Left Democratic Front (LDF) of trying to remove Oommen Chandy's legacy.
Satheesan is not included in the original invitation list for the inauguration event. The state government sent a formal invitation to Satheesan after a controversy in the media. However, he refused to attend the inauguration, saying the invitation was only in the form of a commotion. Satheeshan lashed out at the state government, saying that the Vijayan government deliberately excluded him from concerns that he would speak uncomfortable truths about the history of the port and the honor of the project.
However, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan attributed the achievement to the state government. He wrote in a Facebook post Thursday night. “With this (LDF) government entering its tenth year, Vijeshire International Harbour will be entrusted to every Malayan tomorrow. Kerala has a place on the global maritime map as Prime Minister Narendra Modi dedicates the port to the country tomorrow (May 2). ''
Meanwhile, Congress MLA M. Vincent, representing Kovalam constituency, included Vizhinjam, who visited Oommen Chandy's grave on Friday morning at Puthuppally in Kottayam and provided a flower tribute.
While both aspects explain their role in port institutions, the BJP also praised the Prime Minister for his active role in realizing the state’s dream project.
