Thiruvananthapuram: Prime Minister Narendra Modi took a dig at the opposition INDI Alliance while inaugurating the Vizhinjam International Seaport in Kerala on Friday. He made his comment while referring to the two key opposition leaders – Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan and Congress MP Shashi Tharoor – who were present at the event.
“I want to tell the CM, who is a strong pillar of the INDI Alliance and Shashi Tharoor, who is also sitting here that today’s event will give sleepless nights to several people,” PM Modi remarked, drawing attention to the apparent contradiction of opposition leaders sharing the dais with him.
During the inauguration, Vijayan also expressed his gratitude to the PM for his role in dedicating the landmark project to the nation. “On behalf of the people of Kerala, I once again express our sincere gratitude to the Prime Minister for visiting our state to dedicate the landmark project to the nation. I also extend my congratulations to the Adani Group for executing this mission with excellence,” Vijayan said.
Tharoor had, in the morning, received Modi at Thiruvananthapuram airport as the local MP. He later shared photographs of his, greeting the PM warmly and posted: “Despite delays at the dysfunctional Delhi airport, managed to land in Thiruvananthapuram in time to receive Prime Minister Narendra Modi on his arrival in my constituency.”
Congress general secretary K C Venugopal hit back by saying: “I don’t know on what ground PM is saying this. The PM will be the one who will be having sleepless nights, not the INDI Alliance, Rahul Gandhi, or the Congress. We are going to put maximum pressure on him on the issue of the caste census. We will sleep peacefully, but it is going to be difficult for the PM to sleep.”
Prime Minister Modi officially commissioned the Vizhinjam International Seaport in Kerala on Friday, built at an estimated cost of Rs 8,867 crore. It is the country’s first deepwater container terminal. The event was also attended by Kerala governor Rajendra Arlekar and Adani Group chairman Gautam Adani.
The port received its commercial commissioning certificate on December 4 last year, following a successful trial run.