UDF government is pushing RSS agenda, says Pinarayi Vijayan

Communist Party of India (Marxist) Political Bureau Member and Leader of the Opposition in Keralam Assembly Pinarayi Vijayan has accused the Congress-led United Democratic Front government of promoting the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) agenda through education policies, university appointments and development decisions.

He also defended the KIIFB-funded projects in Kannur and accused the government of distorting land acquisition and undermining the overall development of the state.

Addressing an extended meeting of the CPI(M) district committee in Kannur on Sunday (October 18, 2026), he said the CPI(M) was playing a significant role in national politics by uniting democratic and secular forces against what he described as the RSS agenda pursued by the BJP-led Union government.

He criticized Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar for allegedly compromising voting rights and called for a united resistance by democratic and secular forces.

“The BJP government is implementing the RSS agenda on a massive scale,” Vijayan claimed, arguing that the Centre’s domestic and foreign policies are undermining India’s shared value of democracy and secularism.

“The beauty of democracy is the freedom to express different opinions,” he said, accusing the government of trying to stifle dissent.

Arguing that the Citizenship Amendment Act promotes religion-based citizenship, Mr. Vijayan said the LDF government was opposed to the introduction of a National Register of Citizens in Kerala.

He claimed that the special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls affected thousands of voters in the constituencies, thousands in Kerala and more than 13 million voters nationally. He accused Gyanesh Kumar of acting in the interests of the ruling establishment and said protests demanding his removal were intensifying, with the left-wing student and youth organization playing a prominent role, despite alleged attacks on protesters and members of parliament.

“People’s power is paramount,” Mr. Vijayan said, calling on the CPIM to unite all democratic and secular forces to oppose the alleged unconstitutional actions of the Election Commission of India.

On state politics, he alleged that the UDF government, despite being in office for only a few months, was pushing the agenda of the RSS. He cited the full rendition of Vande Mataram at the oath-taking ceremony and the government’s push to introduce the PM-SHRI education programme, which he said had earlier faced opposition from parties other than the BJP, including the UDF.

He also accused the governor, who is the chancellor of the state universities, of promoting RSS interests through the appointment of the vice-chancellor and the appointment of the university committee, a contrast to the public criticism and legal challenges of the previous LDF government.

In defense of KIIFB, Mr. Vijayan said that around Rs 100,000 crore was allocated for projects across Kerala, with around Rs 40,000 crore being implemented in ten years. He criticized a committee report commissioned by the UDF government that questioned the expenditure in Kannur and disputed the chief minister’s claim that the cost of land acquisition was five times the amount involved.

“Why doesn’t any impartial media organization challenge such factually incorrect claims?” he asked, accusing the media of not investigating the report.

He said the land acquisition followed established legal procedures, with compensation fixed as per law and the option of going to court available to the land owners. Citing the experience of a landowner in Malappuram during the National Highway acquisition, he said the compensation could exceed expectations.

Mr. Vijayan argued that the land near the Kannur airport offers opportunities for future development unavailable around Thiruvananthapuram, Kochi and Karipur. Science parks, IT parks and industrial projects should benefit Keralam as a whole, he said.

Citing the Kochi Metro, smart city, Technopark and the Kochi-Bengaluru Industrial Corridor, he asked why projects in Kannur were being portrayed negatively and identified Palakkad as the next potential industrial hub.

He said schools, hospitals and infrastructure projects have benefited constituencies across Kerala, including those represented by the Chief Minister and the Home Minister.

He credited the KIIFB for enabling the development of infrastructure that was once considered the state’s capabilities and accused the government of portraying these achievements in a negative light.

Published – 18 Oct 2026 11:49 IST