Upset over the omission of former Chief Minister Oommen Chandy’s name during the inauguration of Vizhinjam Seaport, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor took to social media to express his disappointment and pay tribute to the late leader.

In a post on X, Tharoor recalled Chandy’s pivotal role in launching the Vizhinjam project. He stated, “On the day of the official commissioning of the Vizhinjam Port, I recall the remarkable contributions of late Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy, who pushed this project forward, signed the original commissioning agreement, and initiated the work whose culmination we celebrated today. Shame that none of the official speakers even mentioned his name — and I, who would have, did not get a chance to speak.”

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Tharoor added that he would have acknowledged Chandy’s contribution at the inaugural event, but was not given an opportunity to speak.

The Congress party has already voiced its disapproval of what it sees as the LDF government’s attempt to claim sole credit for the project.

Opposition leader VD Satheesan criticized Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, accusing him of attempting to take full credit for a project initiated under the previous UDF government led by Oommen Chandy.

Satheesan likened Vijayan to Ettukali Mammunji, a fictional character by author Vaikom Muhammad Basheer, known for claiming credit for others’ work.

“When the UDF government under Chief Minister Oommen Chandy announced the Vizhinjam Seaport project, the current Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan — then the CPI(M) state secretary — had called it a Rs 6,000-crore piracy. Now, as the project becomes a reality, he is trying to take credit for it,” Satheesan said.