Thiruvananthapuram, July 4:
AICC General Secretary K C Venugopal on Thursday said the Adani Group could not transfer a 49 per cent stake in the company operating the Vizhinjam International Seaport “by keeping the Kerala government in the dark”, saying the state was “not like BJP-ruled states where the group acts as a superpower.” Reacting to a query on the proposed sale of a 49 per cent stake in Adani Vizhinjam Port Private Limited (AVPPL) to Switzerland-based Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC), Venugopal told reporters in New Delhi that the Adani Group should explain the transaction as it was still awaiting regulatory approvals.
“The Adani Group cannot carry out such activities by keeping the Kerala government in the dark. Kerala is not like BJP-ruled states where the Adani Group acts as a superpower,” he said.
Venugopal said he had found that the transaction was still awaiting SEBI approval and other necessary clearances, and therefore, the Adani Group should respond to the issue.
“Is Adani our super government? Do they think they can carry out such actions by keeping the Kerala government in the dark? Is this a BJP-ruled state? There is criticism that in some BJP-ruled states, it is Adani’s decisions that prevail.
“But Kerala is not like that. Here, the Adani Group is not a superpower. Things do not happen simply because Adani decides they should. Did the Adani Group assume that the situation in Kerala is the same?”, the senior Congress leader said.