Kottayam: Opposition Leader VD Satheesan on Wednesday declared that he will not attend the commissioning of the Vizhinjam International Seaport in Thiruvananthapuram, scheduled for May 2. Addressing the media here, the Leader of the Opposition (LoP) argued that the state government invited him after his exclusion from the event became a controversy.

"I did not receive any programme notice of the event. The letter did not state why I was being invited and whether I am just an invitee or a participant in the programme. The government sent an invitation letter to me on Tuesday, following the controversy. I do not consider the letter an official invitation," said Satheesan.

He also accused Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan of hijacking credit for the Vizhinjam port project. He pointed out that the international seaport is the result of the Oommen Chandy government's determination.

"When the UDF government announced the project, Pinarayi Vijayan—who was the CPM secretary at the time—alleged that it was a ₹6,000 crore real estate scam. Calling it 'ocean plunder', he claimed the seaport would affect the livelihood of fishermen in Vizhinjam," said Satheesan.

He added that the LDF government is now promoting the Vizhinjam port as its own achievement on the occasion of its fourth anniversary.

The Opposition Leader criticized the government for not yet completing the rail and road connectivity to the seaport.

He added that the state government had justified excluding him from the inauguration by claiming that the Opposition did not want to be part of the anniversary celebrations. However, the government issued an invitation to the LoP only to quell the political controversy.

As the row over Satheesan's exclusion intensified on Tuesday, Port Minister Ahammad Devarkovil said an invitation had been extended to the Opposition Leader on official letterhead.

"The commissioning is not part of the government's fourth anniversary celebrations. If it were, why would the Prime Minister attend? Are the BJP and CPI(M) celebrating the anniversary together? Clearly, that was not the reason," Satheesan contended.

He said inviting him should have been based on the government's sense of propriety and claimed that he was "deliberately" excluded because they feared he would speak some unpleasant but truthful facts about the port’s background.

"I do not have a problem with not being invited. It is their (the government's) prerogative. The public is seeing all this," he added.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will commission the international seaport on May 2 at 11.00 am. Developed by Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone Ltd (APSEZ)—India's largest port developer and part of the Adani Group—the port was constructed under a public-private partnership model at an estimated cost of ₹8,867 crore.