Tharoor’s presence at inauguration to give ‘sleepless nights’ to many: PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Congress MP Shashi Tharoor during the inauguration of the Vizhinjam International Seaport, in Thiruvananthapuram. (
| Photo Credit: PMO

Prime Minister Narendra Modi officially commissioned the Vizhinjam International Seaport on Friday (May 2, 2025) in the presence of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor, whose presence at the inauguration, Modi said, will give “sleepless nights” to many.

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PM Modi also referred to Mr. Vijayan as a “pillar” of the Opposition INDIA bloc.

The Prime Minister told Mr. Vijayan and Mr. Tharoor, who were on the dais, that their presence at the inauguration event would give “sleepless nights” to many. However, the person translating his speech did not translate it properly, and it prompted the PM to say, “the message has gone across to whom it was meant”.

Giving details of the development in the country, PM Modi said that India was among the top three nations globally on the number of seafarers and in the last 10 years, the capacity of our ports has doubled, their efficiency improved, and the turnaround time there decreased by 30%.

Congress response on PM’s swipe at Opposition

The Congress hit back at Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his “sleepless nights to many” swipe, saying they will continue to hold him accountable for issues like the Pahalgam terror attack and the caste census.

Reacting to it, AICC general secretary, organisation, K C Venugopal said in a post on X, “Even after the horrific terrorist attack in Pahalgam, our PM remains fixated on disturbing the sleep of opposition leaders instead of confronting the real threat—Pakistan. His priorities are crystal clear: appeasing his real master- Adani”.

“But rest assured, PM, while you’re busy with your distractions, our sleepless nights will be spent holding you accountable,” he said.