Thiruvananthapuram: Putting the Pinarayi Vijayan government in a fix, veteran CPM leader V. S. Achuthanandan has demanded a relook into the deal with the Adanis on Vizhinjam as it sabotaged the LDF's plan for a landlord port.
In a submission in the state Assembly on Monday, he also alleged corruption by previous UDF government in the deal. He wanted the government to bring out a white paper on the project.
Ports minister Ramachandran Kadannappally said in his reply that a decision on his demands could be taken only after discussions at the government level.
He did not respond to a series of allegations the former chief minister raised but gave the details of the agreement.
He said the chief minister would inaugurate construction of the berth of the project on June 1.
Mr Achuthanandan alleged that though the LDF government of 2006-11 led by him was planning to develop the port on the landlord model, where the government owns it and gets a revenue share, which might have been more advantageous to the state, the UDF government that succeeded torpedoed the plan.
He said there was a mystery in the decision of the Oommen Chandy government to ink the deal with Gautam Adani, who was a close friend of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
A white paper should be brought out to remove the mystery. The LDF government should keep its promise during the polls that the agreement would be revamped.
The Adani group needs to invest only 32 percent of the project, while they would get a significant chunk of the profit as per the present agreement.
The administrative reforms commission chairman also alleged that the company was constructing breakwaters using concrete blocks in violation of the norms insisting on the rock.
Meanwhile, Opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala urged the speaker to expunge the allegations against the previous government as they were made in a submission. The speaker assured him to look into it.
