CM Pinarayi challenges BJP: Name a state with superior governance than Kerala

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan questioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s abrupt interest in the state’s progress ahead of the Lok Sabha elections and challenged the Union government to identify at least one state headed by the BJP that has outperformed Kerala.

Pinarayi, speaking to the media on Tuesday at the CPM district headquarters in Thrissur, said that Kerala’s social development index is comparable to that of western nations. Kerala led the nation in an NITI Aayog sustainable development index assessment. By November 2025, the state will have eliminated severe poverty. Kerala has been outperforming other states on all social and health parameters. Since the BJP hasn’t been able to do anything in the previous ten years, what type of development is it intending to bring to Kerala? Pinarayi questioned.

The chief minister also attacked the BJP-led Union government’s position, which it claims is undermining the nation’s financial federalism. The Supreme Court’s order to review Kerala’s case by a five-member division bench was characterized by the media as a setback for the state administration, but for us, it represents a huge victory. The order demonstrates that our accusations against the Center are deemed legitimate by the highest court,” he said.

Pinarayi attacked the BJP for “divisive governance” throughout the nation, claiming that similar actions in Kerala would not be successful.

In response to questions about the claims made by the Congress regarding a CPM-BJP agreement in Thrissur and Thiruvananthapuram, Pinarayi said that his party would never engage in such “politically cheap” tactics. “Not the CPM, but the Congress is the one who made agreements with communal factions,” he said.

In response to a query on the CPM district committee’s account being frozen in Thrissur, he said that CPM is the only organization that the Income Tax department has thanked for correctly reporting its transactions. But he stated that Suresh Gopi would not be able to win the seat in Thrissur with the assistance of the ED or the BJP’s political stunt. “The next elections will reflect the LDF wave that is sweeping the state,” he said.