Thiruvananthapuram: Amid ongoing political exchanges between the CPM and the Congress over who deserves credit for the Vizhinjam International Seaport — Pinarayi Vijayan or Oommen Chandy — BJP leader and Union Minister Suresh Gopi has entered the debate, asserting that his efforts were instrumental in bringing the project to reality in Kerala. Speaking at an event on Sunday, the actor-turned-politician said the seaport project gained momentum after he met Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2014 and urged him to allocate it to Kerala.

The BJP MP argued that if Modi were to write a book detailing how the Vizhinjam port became a reality, his own name would feature prominently in it.

Gopi noted that attempts to launch the Vizhinjam project date back to the tenure of former Chief Minister K Karunakaran, but it failed to take off due to political rivalry between the LDF and the UDF.

He recalled meeting Modi on March 5, 2014, following a visit to Gujarat.

According to the Union Minister, although Modi had invited him for discussions for nearly one and a half years — through various intermediaries, including the police — he had initially declined those invitations. He eventually agreed to the meeting after persuasion from certain individuals whose advice he valued.

“When I met him, the first item in the charter of demands I placed before him was that if he became the Prime Minister of India, 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,” he said.

He also mentioned that some of his previous statements had been misunderstood due to limitations in his language skills.

As an example, he referred to his remarks about appointing members from upper-caste communities to oversee the Tribal Affairs portfolio.

Gopi clarified that individuals from forward communities such as Brahmins, Naidus and Raos should be entrusted with responsibilities aimed at uplifting backward classes.

“But similarly, for the welfare of forward-class communities, ministers from backward classes should also be appointed. It is a broad and reformative perception,” he said.

He further said that his long-standing ambition is to serve at the Guruvayoor temple throughout the year.

“My biggest wish is to be the chairman of the Guruvayoor Devaswom Board. I have no desire other than that,” he said.