While launching a massive port project in Kerala on Friday in front of Congress MP Shashi Tharoor and Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, Prime Minister Narendra Modi couldn’t help but poke fun at the INDIA bloc. In an interview with the two opposition leaders who were sharing the stage, PM Modi stated that many people’s sleep would be disturbed by the event.
“I want to tell the Chief Minister (Pinarayi Vijayan), you are a strong pillar of the INDI alliance, Shashi Tharoor is also sitting here,” Prime Minister Modi said, with a grin on his face, adding, “Today’s event is going to disturb the sleep of many.”
The statement was made at the Vizhinjam International Seaport project’s opening in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala. Coincidentally, the Adani group, which has frequently been targeted by the INDIA bloc because to accusations of crony capitalism, built the project. Tharoor represents the Congress in the Lok Sabha from Thiruvananthapuram, an important part of the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA). PM Modi’s remarks, albeit said in jest, appeared to be aimed at unsettling political rivals.
The Prime Minister’s remarks followed Tharoor’s prior laudation of the PM Modi-led administration on a variety of topics, such as India’s position on the conflict between Russia and Ukraine and negotiating with US President Donald Trump. Attention was also drawn to Prime Minister Modi’s encounter with Shashi Tharoor on stage; in contrast to his quick welcomes with other dignitaries, he lingered and spoke with Tharoor for a few seconds while holding his hand and grinning.
Recently, Tharoor was referred to be “one of the few sane voices in Congress” by Rajeev Chandrasekhar, who ran unsuccessfully against her for the Thiruvananthapuram seat. Along with other prominent political figures, such as Kerala cabinet ministers and Rajya Sabha MP John Brittas, Chandrasekhar was also in attendance as the president of the BJP’s Kerala state unit.
When Tharoor met PM Modi in Kerala earlier in the day, he claimed to have just arrived in time to join the prime minister’s welcome panel. In a post on X, he also made fun of Delhi Airport, claiming that he “managed to land in time” and see PM Modi in spite of the “dysfunctional Delhi airport” delays. Changes in wind patterns and the closure of one runway for renovations have caused aircraft delays at the Delhi airport. The airport’s operator, Delhi International Airport Ltd. (DIAL), released a warning about the change in wind patterns for Wednesday rather than Thursday.
The Congress lawmaker shared a few pictures of himself with Prime Minister Modi and expressed his excitement for the PM to officially open the Vizhinjam port, a project he said he has been “proudly” participated in from its start. The Congress party did not find PM Modi amusing. KC Venugopal, general secretary of the AICC, questioned the Prime Minister’s reasoning for his remark. “I don’t know on what grounds PM Modi is saying this. The PM will be the one who will be having sleepless nights; not INDIA bloc, not Rahul Gandhi and not Congress,” he said. “We will sleep peacefully, but it is going to be difficult for the Prime Minister to sleep. We are going to put maximum pressure on him on the issue of the caste census. They announced it like they did with the Women’s Reservation Bill,” Venugopal added.
In front of Gautam Adani, the chairman of the Adani Group, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, and other dignitaries, PM Modi formally opened the first phase of the Vizhinjam International Seaport. The anticipated cost of the completed project was Rs 8,867 crore. Developed by Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone Ltd (APSEZ), India’s largest port operator, under a public-private partnership, the seaport had received its commercial commissioning certificate on December 4, 2024. The deep-water transshipment port is expected to significantly boost India’s position in global maritime trade, providing a strategic gateway for cargo movement and reducing dependence on foreign ports.
