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Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy sparked political row during a campaign roadshow in Kerala by targeting Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan with a movie reference declaring that Vijayan’s “time is over” and that the Opposition United Democratic Front (UDF) is ready to take charge ahead of the April 9 Assembly elections in poll-bound Kerala.
Addressing party workers in Nemom constituency, CM Revanth borrowed a famous line from the Malayalam film Narasimham, originally delivered by actor Mohanlal. Tweaking the iconic “Nee po mone Dinesha,” he quipped, “Nee po mone Vijaya!”—drawing loud cheers from the crowd. He followed it up with a direct political attack, saying Vijayan’s “expiry date has passed”, asserting that it was now the UDF’s turn to govern Kerala.
The dialogue CM Revanth referenced is one of Malayalam cinema’s most celebrated lines. In *Narasimham, Mohanlal plays a fearless man who confronts injustice. Speaking about the dialogue recently, actor Mohanlal spoke about it on the MyGov Podcast, sharing why the line still resonates 23 years after Narasimham’s release.
“‘Nee po mone Dinesha…’ is a very beautiful dialogue. It feels like it speaks directly to life, but it is not a casual attitude,” Mohanlal explained, “It conveys the idea that whatever comes my way, I will face it. I am responsible for all my actions.”
CM Revanth had challenged critics of the Five Guarantees announced by the UDF stating that those doubting their implementation should visit Telangana. “I would personally demonstrate to Pinarayi and his ministers how the guarantees are being implemented if a Kerala delegation visits Telangana,” Revanth said, declaring that the “dark era” of Pinarayi was ending and a “golden era” under the UDF was set to begin.
Vijayan responded sharply to Reddy’s remarks, calling them “baseless” and accusing him of attempting to undermine Kerala’s governance model. He cited Kerala’s performance on social indicators, including topping the NITI Aayog SDG Index (2023–24), low poverty levels, high literacy rates, and strong public health outcomes.
The Kerala Chief Minister also questioned Reddy’s criticism, noting that Telangana officials had recently studied Kerala’s digital land records system. He accused the Congress of hypocrisy and alleged that the attack was politically motivated, while defending his government’s record on welfare and development.