Kerala CM’s family’s presence at high-level meeting on Vizhinjam port sparks row

Participation of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s family members in a high-level meeting  on the Vizhinjam International Seaport, to be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on May 2, has kicked up a controversy in Kerala.

Vijayan, the other day , visited Vizhinjam to assess the preparations for  the inauguration of the Vizhinjam International Seaport Ltd. (VISL).  It has been reported that along with him, his wife Kamala , daughter Veena Vijayan, and grandson Ishan also visited the port and attended the aforesaid meeting.

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The chief minister’s family taking part in the  meeting has evoked criticism from various quarters.  Question is also being raised as to how his wife, daughter and grandson were  allowed to attend a meeting where serious matters were discussed.

The Opposition has  come out against  the government pointing out that the SFIO has filed a chargesheet against  Veena Vijayan in a case related to financial  irregularities. Senior Congress leader and former state home minister Ramesh Chennithala called the chief minister’s act of making his wife, daughter, and grandson sit together in the review meeting of the Vizhinjam Port 0xtremely insulting and condemnable. He said the Vizhinjam Port project is not his family business.

Stating that CM  Vijayan’s  daughter Veena Vijayan is an accused charged with serious corruption, he asked  how such a person could participate in a high-level  meeting  which discussed  the programme  to be  attended by the prime minister.

Former vigilance director and BJP leader Jacob Thomas also questioned the presence of the chief minister’s  family at the high-level meeting. In a social media post, he shared a photo originally posted by officials and asked, “Who is this young authority in a meeting attended by the VISL chairperson and concerned ministers.” The image shows VISL Managing Director Divya S Iyer leading a discussion, the chief minister’s  daughter T Veena and grandson Ishan.

Chief Minister Vijayan was accompanied by port minister  VN Vasavan, Education Minister V Sivankutty, Mayor Arya Rajendran, and senior officials from the port department and Adani Ports when he visited Vizhinjam to review the preparations for Modi’s visit. 0

Even as the presence of CM’s family in the meeting stirred a controversy, the authorities  sought to downplay the incident saying the CM’s visit was unofficial. VISL MD Divya S Iyer said it was an informal visit and there was nothing unusual about the CM being accompanied by his family. However, a social media post shared by the VISL after the visit mentioned that  CM Vijayan had reviewed construction progress at the port.

“Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan reviewed the final preparations at the Vizhinjam port. He inspected key facilities, including the state-of-the-art VTMS (Vessel Traffic Management System). Vizhinjam is all set to mark a new era in India’s maritime sector! The Chief Minister was accompanied by Ports and Devaswom Minister V N Vasavan, Thiruvananthapuram Mayor Arya Rajendran, and Vizhinjam International Seaport Ltd (VISL) Managing Director Dr Divya S Iyer. The Vizhinjam International Seaport will be officially inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on May 2, 2025,” the post said.

It has also been reported that Vijayan’s family was also present when he visited the strategic high-security area of the port after the assessment meeting. The chief minister also visited the strategic areas of the port, such as the Port Operation Centre, and the berth with his family. A tug trip was also conducted within the berth area.