Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and Leader of Opposition VD Satheesan presented starkly contrasting views of the second Left Democratic Front (LDF) government at the conclusion of the debate on the Governor’s vote of thanks in the concluding session of the 15th Kerala Legislative Assembly on Wednesday.
Mr. Satheesan tried to paint a picture of Kerala in decline under ten years of LDF rule to the voters. He called the governor’s policy an exercise in subterfuge and bluffing. “The government has no policy and no money. Kerala’s finances are in a death spiral,” he said.
He said that seller inflation in Kerala is the highest in the country. People were facing a cost of living crisis. “The government’s dismal tax administration and fiscal mismanagement have left the state coffers dry. The lack of funds has dismantled the state’s market intervention program,” he said.
Mr. Satheesan said the LDF has been systematically reducing the allocation of plan funds, including scheduled caste and scheduled tribal welfare. “Unemployment skyrocketed and backdoor meetings were the order of the day. Kerala became a graveyard for investors. Boards of workers’ welfare funds stopped paying dividends to members.”
“The LDF government was communist in name only. Its actions surpassed those of the far right. First, the LDF told the court that government employees were wrong to demand dignity allowance as a legal right. The LDF embarrassed Hindutva forces by demonizing minorities. It secretly signed the revanchist New Education Policy (NEP) and linked Mr. PM-Shriease’s scheme with Sathees Appease Centre.
CM’s reply
Mr. Vijayan replied that a vote for the Congress in the Assembly elections was a vote for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). “The Mattathur grama panchayat elections, in which six Congress members voted to elect a BJP member as president, signals what lies ahead. The BJP, which orchestrated the mass defection of Congress leaders, including MLAs and chief ministers, to the NDA, sees Kerala as a breeding ground for poaching UDF leaders and legislators,” he said.
Mr. Vijayan revealed LDF’s track record in education, health, social welfare, critical infrastructure development and housing. He said the Congress lacks a vision for Kerala.
“The Congress has not lifted a finger against the financial strangulation of the Kerala center to hamper its development and prosperity. Instead, the Congress has invested heavily in vilifying the state on the national stage,” he said.
Mr. Vijayan said the hallmark of successive LDF governments has been social friendliness. “However, Congress has enabled majoritarian and minority communalism for a few fringe voices, fueling fundamentalism on opposite sides of the far-right religious spectrum,” he said.
Mr Vijayan expressed confidence that the LDF would come to power for the third consecutive time in 2026. “A smoke screen of lies and stoking identity politics will not help the Congress or the BJP. People are voting on how they have experienced governance in their civic and private lives. We will meet again on the campaign trail,” he said.
Speaker AN Shamseer said the motion moved by CPI(M) legislator and LDF president TP Ramakrishnan passed after a vote in the House.
Published – 28 Jan 2026 20:22 IST
