Real Kerala story is our communal harmony: Pinarayi Vijayan
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CM Pinarayi Vijayan on Thursday condemned what he called attempts to malign Kerala ahead of the Assembly election scheduled for April–May, referring to controversial films such as The Kerala Story and its sequel.
Speaking at the NDTV Kerala Power Play Summit, the Chief Minister said the “real Kerala story” lies in the state’s communal harmony and the progress made toward creating zero-poverty villages.
Vijayan also highlighted the development achieved under his leadership and that of the Communist Party of India (Marxist)-led ruling coalition. Referring to the opposition United Democratic Front, led by the Indian National Congress, he said the state had been in crisis when his government first came to power.
According to him, the education sector was struggling at the time, with many schools on the verge of closure, while the health sector lacked doctors and adequate infrastructure.
Vijayan also spoke about the large number of people from Kerala who work outside the state, noting that many returning residents used to feel that little had changed in their hometowns.
Making a strong pitch for the Left Democratic Front, which is seeking a second consecutive term in the upcoming election, the Chief Minister listed several infrastructure achievements of his administration.
These include the construction of 16 highways and a 450-km gas pipeline. Vijayan said the state government partly funded the projects because agencies such as the National Highways Authority of India and GAIL (India) Limited were initially reluctant to proceed, citing issues such as high land acquisition costs.
He said the state government decided to bear 25 per cent of the land acquisition cost for highway construction in order to move the projects forward. Similarly, he said the government intervened to ensure the completion of the long-delayed GAIL pipeline project.
The Chief Minister also cited improvements in infant mortality rates and school dropout figures as evidence of progress under the LDF government. He said the state had also attracted investment worth about ₹3.63 lakh crore, with companies drawn by Kerala’s peaceful social environment and stable business climate.
On relations with the central government, Vijayan said Kerala had repeatedly tried to maintain cooperative ties but had not received adequate support. Referring to the devastating 2018 Kerala Floods, he alleged that the state did not receive the level of assistance it expected from the Centre after the disaster.
He said other states, including Telangana and Maharashtra, contributed financial assistance at the time, while neighbouring states such as Tamil Nadu and Karnataka also extended support.