In his first interaction with the media after formally taking over as Leader of Opposition (LoP), Pinarayi Vijayan on Friday, May 29, critiqued the maiden policy address of the Congress-led UDF government. He was addressing the media in response to Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar’s policy address outlining the priorities of Chief Minister VD Satheesan’s government.
Pinarayi Vijayan said the address failed to acknowledge the development blueprint prepared by the previous Left government and ignored several flagship projects and long-term initiatives launched during the LDF regime.
He pointedly referred to institutions and missions such as KIIFB and Kudumbashree, arguing that these initiatives had played a crucial role in placing Kerala on a higher development trajectory but found no mention in the government’s vision document.
Vijayan also questioned the UDF government’s narrative on the state’s finances. He claimed that when the Left government demitted office, Kerala’s treasury had a balance of over Rs 5,000 crore approved by the Reserve Bank of India, and accused the new administration of hiding it to build a false narrative of financial collapse.
At the same time, he said the policy address repeatedly spoke about issuing a financial white paper while failing to adequately highlight what he described as the Union government's flawed financial policies and its disregard for federal principles.
He also noted the absence of any detailed discussion on the economic impact of the West Asia crisis, blue economy policies, mining regulations, and the Union government's approach towards resource management.
“There is mention of taking Kerala into a new realm of development, but the address does not show the route map for achieving it,” Pinarayi Vijayan said, adding that the promises highlighted by the UDF during the election campaign were not clearly reflected in the policy declaration.
Even while raising doubts over the government’s direction, Pinarayi Vijayan noted that the administration had only just assumed office.
He said the opposition would support all measures beneficial to the people while strongly opposing policies harmful to the state.
On the controversy surrounding the rendering of Vande Mataram in the Assembly, Vijayan dismissed demands for the full version to be played, saying such insistence reflected the agenda of the RSS and was unnecessary in Kerala.