Prime Minister Narendra Modi's attack on the LDF government in Kerala was met with a strong response from Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Tuesday. Vijayan countered all the charges and urged Modi to do a self-introspection about the development index of the BJP-ruled Uttar Pradesh.
Vijayan pointed to the accolades bestowed upon Kerala by the union government led by Modi, including top rankings in the Niti Ayog's sustainable development index, health index, and poverty index. He emphasized that these recognitions were not easily obtained and that the state stands too high to be ignored.
Vijayan accused Modi and the BJP of adopting a "hypocritical approach" towards Kerala, as seen in their election manifesto and Modi's recent speeches in the state. He rubbished Modi's charges that Kerala had suffered a setback in a case related to the state's borrowing limit in the Supreme Court, claiming that the apex court handed over the case to its Constitution bench accepting Kerala's arguments.
Regarding the multi-core scam in the party-ruled Karuvannur Cooperative bank, Vijayan stated that a total of Rs 117 crore deposits had already been returned to the depositors and that stringent measures have been taken against the accused. He claimed that Modi is aware of this but is raking up the issue as it is election time.
Vijayan also alleged that the BJP's election manifesto smacked of a "communal agenda" and that the saffron party does not have the courage to present the progress report of its 10-year rule and face the people during the polls. He emphasized that the objective of the upcoming Lok Sabha polls is to safeguard India's sovereign, egalitarian, secular, and democratic nature and to liberate the country from the hands of communalism.