New Delhi: The Adani Group’s upcoming Vizhinjam Port near Thirvananthapuram in Kerala, which has so far seen sustained protests against it by fisherfolk on Tuesday, November 1, saw a long march in support of it by the Bharatiya Janata Party and Communist Party of India (Marxist).
The two parties, in power in the Union and state governments respectively, are traditional and ideological rivals. In Kerala, their rivalry has often seen violence.
Times of India has reported that not only did district heads of the respective parties – CPI(M) district secretary Anavoor Nagappan and BJP’s district president V.V. Rajesh – address the march, but it also saw participation of members belonging to another rival party – Congress.
The march was formally led by the ‘Save Vizhinjam Port Action Council’ which aims to counter the agitation against the port.
This is the first time that BJP and CPI(M) politicians have united on a public platform.
Both Nagappan and Rajesh said that their respective parties will “provide support” to the Action Council to see the port plan to fruition. CPI(M)’s Nagappan ascribed “ulterior motives” to an unnamed group which he claimed was controlling the protests.
Thousands of protesters from nearby areas have been pressing for their seven-point charter of demands that include stopping construction work and a coastal impact study. The protesters have been alleging that the unscientific construction of groynes, the artificial sea walls as part of the upcoming Vizhinjam port, was one of the reasons for the increasing coastal erosion.
The Rs 7,500-crore international transhipment project was initiated in 2015, The Wire Science has reported.So far, the Left government in Kerala has remained steadfast in its decision to let construction continue.
“The price that coastal fishing communities could pay for the project could be high,” the detailed analysis of protesters’ impression of the environmental damage noted.
Also read: Why Fisherfolk Are Protesting Against Adani’s Vizhinjam Port in Kerala
The Kerala High Court on November 1 – the same day as the march – directed that obstructions placed by protesters on the road to the under-construction sea port have to be removed.
The direction by Justice Anu Sivaraman came during the hearing of contempt pleas of Adani Group and the company contracted by it to construct the port.
The protesters told the court that settlement discussions were being held and the talks were being mediated by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, and sought time.