Hyderabad: The Congress high command and the state leadership seems to be at loggerheads over the Vizhinjam project being handed over to the Adani group, whose owner is a confidant of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Chief Minister Oommen Chandy is keen to go ahead with the project which “is now or never.” The letter of award was supposed to be given to Adani group last week.
Union Minister Nitin Gadkari had threatened to opt for Colachel in Tamil Nadu and develop it into a major container hub if Vizhinjam project was scuttled. However, Ports Minister K. Babu has affirmed that the government was firm on Adani group.
KPCC president V. M. Sudheeran, who visited the AICC leadership last month, had told reporters that the project would be given to Adani group.
Last week, Mr Chandy met Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi who expressed his displeasure over the UDF plan. Mr Gandhi also expressed his views to the KPCC, it is learnt.
However, Mr Chandy did not want to mix politics with development. Though the agreement for the project was supposed to be handed over on Friday, it did not materialise.
Mr Babu then said that it was due to technical delay and that it would be done on Monday, which too didn’t happen. Congress sources told DC that Mr Chandy had managed to convince the AICC leadership of his promise given to the voters of Aruvikkara on the project.
“The report that the AICC leadership is against the Vizhinjam project being given to Adani group is baseless. We will go ahead with it, ” said Mr Chandy.
Mr Babu also maintained that no talks were held with the AICC leadership on the subject. He said the technical delay would be resolved soon.
CPM secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan said the UDF government had decided to hand over the project to Adani without consulting the Congress leadership. He alleged that Mr Sudheeran had not attended the all-party meet held on June 3 which showed that the AICC leadership had not agreed to the project.
BJP leader O. Rajagopal said that Mr Chandy had assured him that Vizhinjam would be given to Adani group. “If there is any change in this, the BJP would start a people’s agitation,” said Mr Rajagopal.
It is Kerala’s dream project which should not be delayed, he said and added that cutting across party lines, all should come forward to work for its realisation.
