Kerala’s Chief Minister, Pinarayi Vijayan, responded to criticism from Telangana’s Chief Minister, Revanth Reddy, during a recent campaign visit. Vijayan, in a social media post, accused Reddy of being misinformed and belittling Kerala while ignoring issues in his own state. He invited Reddy to Kerala to learn about the state’s welfare models and highlighted Kerala’s progress in sustainable development and social welfare.
Vijayan refuted Reddy’s claims of corruption and administrative failures in Kerala, citing official data that shows Kerala as one of the least corrupt states in the country. He pointed out that Kerala ranked first in the NITI Aayog Sustainable Development Index, with notable achievements in poverty reduction, literacy rate, and healthcare systems compared to Telangana.
The Kerala Chief Minister questioned Reddy’s criticism and accused him of political hypocrisy for ridiculing Kerala while seeking to learn from its initiatives. Vijayan also dismissed allegations of collusion with the Centre and criticized the Congress for not opposing policies constraining Kerala financially. In conclusion, Vijayan suggested that Reddy should learn governance lessons from Kerala and welcomed him to visit the state to understand its welfare model.