'Kerala has nothing to learn from Telangana,' Vijayan targets Revanth Reddy over his campaign comments

Kochi: Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Friday hit back sharply at his Telangana counterpart Revanth Reddy, saying Kerala has “nothing to learn” from him who heads a government that repeatedly delays salaries and pensions.

The remarks come amid heightened political activity ahead of the April 9 assembly polls in Kerala, with leaders from across the country campaigning in the state.

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Reddy, who was on a two-day campaign tour of Kerala starting April 1, had launched a strong attack on the decade-old Left Democratic Front (LDF) government. Responding to the criticism, Vijayan said in a post on X that the “era of closed treasuries and pending welfare pensions under the UDF is a thing of the past,” adding that Kerala’s governance model remains focused on welfare and inclusivity.

Terming Reddy’s comments during the campaign as “disparaging” and “entirely baseless,” Vijayan said it was “ironic” that a leader “who runs bulldozers over the homes of the poor” was attempting to lecture Kerala on social progress. “He has simply become a mouthpiece for those trying to sabotage our sustainable and inclusive development model,” Vijayan added.

The Kerala CM also dismissed Reddy’s allegation of a “nexus” between the state and the Union government as “absurd”, accusing the Congress of acting as the BJP’s “B-team” by failing to oppose what he described as financial constraints imposed on Kerala.

Vijayan further questioned whether Reddy had overlooked Kerala’s protests against the Centre’s policies or was “defending his party’s betrayal” of the state.

Highlighting governance indicators, Vijayan pointed out that a Telangana delegation had visited Thiruvananthapuram last September to study Kerala’s digital land records system. “It is hypocritical to mock a model your own government seeks to emulate,” he said.

Citing social sector metrics, Vijayan said Kerala’s Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) stood at 5, lower than that of the US, while Telangana’s IMR was “significantly higher”. He also claimed that Kerala’s poverty rate was the lowest in the country at 0.55%, compared with 5.88% in Telangana, and that the state was on track to eradicate extreme poverty.

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On education, Vijayan said Kerala’s literacy rate of 95.3% far outpaced Telangana’s 76.9%. Referring to the NITI Aayog SDG Index (2023-24), he noted that Kerala ranked first with 79 points, while Telangana was placed sixth.

“Before levelling allegations of corruption and misgovernance, one must refer to official data,” Vijayan said, adding that “ridiculing Kerala to mask shortcomings elsewhere is regrettable.”