Kerala CM Vijayan hits back at Revanth Reddy over Kerala campaign remarks
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan hit back at Telangana CM Revanth Reddy over criticism during an election campaign, defending Kerala’s welfare model and governance record while inviting him to visit the state and learn from its development initiatives
Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Thursday hit back at his Telangana counterpart Revanth Reddy after the latter’s sharp criticism of the Left government during a campaign visit to the state.
In a Facebook post, Vijayan said the Telangana Chief Minister was “misinformed” and accused Reddy of “ridiculing” Kerala and its people while concealing the weaknesses of his own state.
“By conveniently ignoring the bulldozing of the homes of the poor in his own state, he appears ready to lecture Kerala on social progress and public welfare, clearly he has been seriously misinformed by someone,” Vijayan wrote.
“The Telangana Chief Minister is welcome to Kerala to learn about welfare models,” the Kerala CM said. He said Reddy, while campaigning for the UDF candidates for the April 9 Assembly polls in Kerala, had made remarks against the state.
Inviting Reddy to the state to learn about its welfare model, Vijayan said Kerala was moving forward through “sustainable and inclusive development”. He also accused Reddy of backing those trying to undermine it.
Responding to allegations of corruption and administrative failure, Vijayan said, “He claims that Kerala is marked by ‘corruption and administrative failure’, but he should be willing to look at official data. Is he unaware that Kerala is among the least corrupt states in the country?” Citing figures, he pointed out that Kerala ranked first in the NITI Aayog Sustainable Development Index (2023-24) with 79 points, while Telangana was placed sixth.
He also highlighted social indicators, saying, “According to NITI Aayog data, Kerala’s poverty rate is just 0.55 per cent, the lowest in India.” In contrast, he noted, Telangana’s poverty rate stood at 5.88 per cent.
On education and health, Vijayan said Kerala’s literacy rate was 95.3 per cent, far ahead of Telangana’s 76.9 per cent, and added, “Kerala’s infant mortality rate (IMR) has dropped to 5 per 1,000 live births,” which he said was lower than that of countries like the United States.
“In Telangana, the IMR is said to be nearly four times higher. Due to strong healthcare systems, an average Malayali lives 5 to 7 years longer than the average Indian,” Vijayan said.
Questioning Reddy’s criticism, Vijayan said, “When his own government seeks to learn from Kerala’s initiatives, how is it that the chief minister himself ridicules them? What greater political hypocrisy could there be?” He also rejected Reddy’s allegation that the Kerala government was colluding with the Centre, and instead accused the Congress of failing to oppose central policies that, he said, were financially constraining the state.
“Let me humbly say that Kerala has nothing to learn from a chief minister who leads a government where salaries and pensions are frequently delayed,” Vijayan added.
Concluding his remarks, Vijayan said, “It is Revanth Reddy who should learn lessons in governance from Kerala. He is welcome to visit Kerala to study its welfare model.” The response came after Reddy launched a sharp attack on Vijayan during the election campaign for the UDF candidates in Kerala ahead of the April 9 Assembly polls.
Reddy, addressing election meetings in Kerala, had criticised the Vijayan government for “remaining silent” as several national development projects, including key highway works, had stalled.
He had called on voters to “teach a lesson” to both the BJP and the LDF, accusing the Centre of misusing agencies such as the ED and CBI, and alleging that CPI(M) leaders were being spared due to political arrangements.
The Telangana chief minister had praised Kerala’s progress in literacy, education and social development, but credited former Congress chief ministers for these achievements.
