Keralam Opposition Leader refutes Chief Minister’s charges of delaying Vizhinjam port work

Keralam Opposition Leader refutes Chief Minister's charges of delaying Vizhinjam port work Pinarayi rejects Satheesan's claim that previous LDF administration delayed road connectivity to the Vizhinjam International Seaport, calling the allegation 'baseless and ridiculous'.

Key points

• In 2024-25, ₹11 crore was allocated for land acquisition and funds were provided to Vizhinjam International Seaport Ltd.
• By the time final approval for road connectivity was received in January 2024, the LDF administration had acquired 35.81 cents of the required 42 cents of land, Mr.
• Keralam Leader of the Opposition Pinarayi Vijayan has rejected Chief Minister V.D.
• Vijayan additionally recalled that when a mass protest against the construction of the port was held in 2022, the UDF had extended its full backing to the agitation.
• He remarked 100% of the work on the Vizhinjam port.

Keralam Leader of the Opposition Pinarayi Vijayan has rejected Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan's claim that the Left Democratic Front (LDF) administration delayed road connectivity to the Vizhinjam International Seaport, calling the allegation "baseless and ridiculous." In a social media post on Wednesday (August 19, 2026), Mr. Vijayan remarked the remarks were part of a political exercise to mislead the public and take credit for the Vizhinjam project by concealing facts.

He remarked 100% of the work on the Vizhinjam port. It has begun commercial operations, was completed during the LDF government's tenure. The United Democratic Front's (UDF) claim that some significant work was completed within two-and-a-half months of assuming office was additionally not based on facts, he stated.

Mr. Vijayan additionally recalled that when a mass protest against the construction of the port was held in 2022, the UDF had extended its full backing to the agitation. Mr. Satheesan, who was then Leader of the Opposition, had visited the protest site and publicly stated that the port construction would not be allowed to proceed, he recalled.

He additionally alleged that the then Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president had viewed the UDF-backed anti-port agitation as a feasible repeat of the old Liberation Struggle in Keralam.

For context, the LDF administration then stood firm against attempts to halt construction of Vizhinjam. It was therefore ironic that those who had resisted the project were now claiming credit for road connectivity, with around 99% of the work having been completed during the LDF tenure itself, he stated.

He additionally stated the land acquisition process for the NH-66-Vizhinjam Fort Road junction began with the issuance of Notification 4(1) in April 2022, followed by Notification 19(1) for road connectivity in February 2024. In 2024-25, ₹11 crore was allocated for land acquisition and funds were provided to Vizhinjam International Seaport Ltd.

By the time final approval for road connectivity was received in January 2024, the LDF administration had acquired 35.81 cents of the required 42 cents of land, Mr. Vijayan remarked. While the Centre delayed approval for the permanent cloverleaf interchange and approach road, he additionally alleged that the National Highways Authority delayed acquisition of the remaining land and the necessary approvals. Shashi Tharoor, MP, had raised the matter in the Lok Sabha as of the delay, he noted.

For now, keralam Opposition Leader refutes Chief Minister's charges of delaying Vizhinjam port work remains the part of the story worth watching, and further updates are likely as more details are confirmed.