Thiruvananthapuram, April 3: A heated political exchange unfolded between Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao (KCR) on Friday. Vijayan responded in detail to statements made by KCR during his visit to Kerala.
KCR has been captivating audiences in Kerala with his speeches, even quoting a famous line from Malayalam superstar Mohanlal during a campaign rally. He accused the Vijayan government of corruption and poor governance.
In a firm statement on Facebook, Vijayan countered that the Telangana Chief Minister is misleading the public and attempting to belittle Kerala.
Vijayan presented data related to Kerala’s development in response to KCR’s allegations. He highlighted that Kerala ranks first in the NITI Aayog’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Index for 2023-24 with a score of 79, while Telangana is in sixth place.
He also noted that Kerala has the lowest poverty rate in the country at 0.55%, compared to Telangana’s 5.88%. The Chief Minister praised Kerala’s literacy and healthcare services, stating that the literacy rate stands at 95.3%, while Telangana’s is 76.9%. Kerala’s infant mortality rate is just 5 per 1,000 births, lower than that of the United States. Thanks to its robust public health system, people in Kerala live 5 to 7 years longer than the national average.
In a jab at KCR’s criticism, Vijayan suggested that instead of spending on election campaigns, KCR should focus on reducing poverty and increasing literacy in his own state.
He labeled KCR’s comments as “political hypocrisy,” noting that a delegation from Telangana had previously visited Thiruvananthapuram to study Kerala’s digital land record system, yet their Chief Minister is now criticizing the state.
Vijayan also dismissed allegations of collusion with the central government and accused the Congress party of acting as the BJP’s “B team,” failing to oppose policies that economically weaken Kerala.
He remarked that Kerala has no lessons to learn from a state where delays in employee salaries and pensions are common. Vijayan extended an invitation to KCR to study Kerala’s welfare model.
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