Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan greets former Union Panchayati Raj Minister Mani Shankar Aiyar during the Vision 31 conference held at the Sankaranarayanan Thampi Hall at the Kerala Assembly Complex in Thiruvananthapuram on Sunday. | Photo credit: NIRMAL HARINDRAN
The Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI(M)) in the Kerala polls on Sunday received unexpected praise from Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar, who went to the extent of saying he was “confident” that Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan “will be the next Chief Minister”.
Mr Aiyar’s remarks – delivered in the presence of Mr Vijayan at the inaugural event of ‘Vision 2031: An International Conference on Development and Democracy’ organized by the State Planning Board here – came at a time when the opposition United Democratic Front (UDF)-led Congress is gearing up for a battle with the ruling CPI(M) – LD Democratic Front – led elections
Criticizing the absence of his own party colleagues at Sunday’s event, Mr Aiyar said he deeply regretted their absence from the occasion “which is a state and therefore a national occasion”. (It may be recalled that senior Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala had issued an open letter to economist Amartya Sen, historian Romila Thapar, World Food Prize laureate Sakunthala Thilsted and other prominent invitees urging them not to attend the three-day conference. Mr. Chennithala’s argument was that the conference was an effort to carefully win the government’s morale.
Talking about the Panchayati Raj system and its future, Mr. Aiyar described CPI(M)-ruled Kerala as the only state that had made progress towards Mahatma Gandhi’s declaration that he would “work for an India in which the poorest feel that it is their country, in the building of which they have an effective voice”.
Amendments to the law
Mr. Aiyar, a former Union Minister for Panchayati Raj, noted that while Kerala is in practice the “first state” in the country in Panchayati Raj, it is only second best in law as Karnataka has “excellent current legislation”. He recalled his earlier request that Kerala strengthen its Panchayati Raj mechanism through amendments to the Act. “So in the presence of the Chief Minister, who I am sure will be the next Chief Minister, I renew my plea that in order to strengthen Kerala as the best Panchayati Raj state in the country, the state law should be amended based on the experience we have,” Mr. Aiyar said.
He also wanted the Left government to “pick up the baton dropped by the Congress” and take responsibility for moving Panchayati Raj in the country. “I am afraid there is no champion left for Panchayati Raj in the country. So I have to fall at your feet Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and say please sir pick up the baton that Congress has thrown down.”
Mr. Aiyar’s remarks also came amid the ongoing controversy over poet K. Satchidanandan’s remarks on the dangers of continuous rule.
Published – 15 Feb 2026 20:35 IST