Suresh Gopi says Vizhinjam port realised after he raised request with Modi
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Thiruvananthapuram: Union Minister Suresh Gopi on Sunday claimed that the Vizhinjam International Seaport project materialised after he met Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2014 and requested that the project be allotted to Kerala.
Speaking at an event, the BJP MP said the full story of how the Vizhinjam port became a reality would be revealed if Modi writes a book, and that his role would figure prominently.
Gopi noted that attempts to start the port project had been made during the tenure of former Chief Minister K. Karunakaran, but political tussles between the LDF and UDF had delayed it. He said that on March 5, 2014, he finally met Modi after visiting Gujarat.
He claimed that although Modi had invited him to meet for over a year and a half, he had not gone despite numerous invitations sent through various intermediaries, including the police. “When I met him, the first item on my charter of demand was that if he became Prime Minister, Kerala should be allotted the Vizhinjam project. I said that if the project is given to Kerala, I will be your slave. It is a matter of pride for me to say that I became a slave to a government for the people of Kerala,” Gopi said.
The minister also addressed previous misinterpretations of his remarks due to language limitations. He cited his comment on appointing upper-caste members to handle the Tribal Affairs portfolio as an example, explaining that he believes people from forward communities such as Brahmins, Naidus, and Raos should be appointed to work for the upliftment of backward class communities, and vice versa for forward-class welfare. “It is a broad and reformative perception,” he said.
Gopi added that his greatest desire is to work at the Guruvayoor temple year-round, saying, “My biggest wish is to be the chairman of the Guruvayoor Devaswom Board. I have no desire other than that.”
With PTI inputs