Kerala Governor’s political speech without criticizing the Union Government: Pinarayi

Leader of Opposition Pinarayi Vijayan. | Photo credit: Nirmal Harindran

Leader of the Opposition Pinarayi Vijayan alleged that the governor’s political speech lacked any criticism of the Union government’s position which adversely affected the interests of Kerala. This brought the United Democratic Front government under a cloud.

He was participating in the debate on the vote of thanks for the Governor’s political speech in the Assembly on Thursday (June 4, 2026).

Mr. Vijayan said there was silence against the Union Government. It was akin to surrender and would have paved the way for massive damage.

During the swearing-in ceremony of the United Democratic Front (UDF) government, the Vande Mataram controversy arose. The UDF claimed that though the governor insisted that only cabinet members should be present then, it was fixed. If that was the case, why could the UDF not oppose the agenda of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) state president Rajeev Chandrasekhar appreciated the speech. Many propositions in the address were borrowed from the BJP manifesto, he said on social media. Only the slogan “Puthuyuga Keralam” was added to the address of the policy. There is no mention of any action, Mr. Vijayan said.

He argued that the UDF had lost collective responsibility at the outset. The ministers themselves complained that the transfers of top officials were carried out unilaterally.

The Left Democratic Front (LDF) lost the Assembly elections and admitted it. However, it presented a development paradigm and policy. It will continue to keep them close and have a stronger return, Mr. Vijayan said.

In his speech, Chief Minister VD Satheesan said that many dream projects were announced in the UDF manifesto. She did not check that these projects were in someone else’s manifesto.

He said that Kerala has been performing better than other states in various social indicators for decades, but many are currently stagnant. The unnecessary delay in the implementation of many programs proved to be detrimental to the state.

People’s living standards should improve. Kerala should be the destination of the world when it comes to health and education. For the first time in India, a department for senior citizens was created in the state. In three to four years, Kerala will be the most civilized society in India.

Mr. Satheesan said the biggest dream of the government was to turn Kerala into a port city. It also wanted to turn Kerala into the largest aviation hub in South Asia.

A land bank should be created to start industrial enterprises. Start-ups should also be launched here, Mr. Satheesan said.

Tourism projects, including medical tourism, ecotourism and destination tourism, can be implemented with public participation. Urgent action was also needed in human-wildlife conflict.

Published – 04 Jun 2026 23:11 IST