VS Achuthanandan wants Adani deal reviewed and contradicts CPM official stand

Thiruvananthapuram: CPM veteran leader V S Achuthanandan’s demand for revisiting Vizhinjam Sea Port agreement signed with Adani Group is contradictory to the CPM’s official position on the issue.

At an interaction held with journalists ahead of the party’s Kerala International Study Congress on January 1,2016 had stated that if CPM came to power it would not tinker with the existing agreement reached with the Adani Group on Vizhinjam Seaport Project. He had gone a step further declaring that if the contract with Adani group were to be scrapped it would result in several serious legal issues.

Pinarayi had pointed out that making changes after the signing of agreement would only cause undue delay. If the new government tried to scrap the agreement it would create several legal obstacles, according to him.

The CPM leader had also referred to the possibility of courts upholding existing agreement. Though he had talked about CPM raising certain objections about the conditions laid down in connection with the private partner for the Seaport project,

There was no change in his stand after becoming the chief minister. It may be recalled that in November 2016 he told Assembly that though there were serious lapses in the Vizhinjam seaport agreement the state government had no other option but to go ahead with it.

The chief minister refered to the concerns raised when UDF government inked the agreement with Adani group. He admitted that though the shortcomings remained the government had no option but to take the project forward as per the conditions laid down in the previous agreement.

One of the major reservations of the government is about the Public Private Partnership model adopted by the UDF Government. But the government is now keen on taking the project forward. It fears that creating obstacles at this stage would be portrayed as "anti development" stand of government.

With the government and UDF on the same page on this issue, it would be interesting to see how Achuthanandan takes his cause forward.