By Express News Service
As the CPM-led LDF authorities completes two years in office, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan spoke to Preetha Nair on his authorities’s achievements, deal with the Congress victory in Karnataka assembly polls, why he thinks Congress in Kerala is a mirror image of BJP, the precise Kerala story and additional…
Excerpts:
Do you assume Karnataka Assembly poll outcomes have catapulted Congress to the pole place of essential the Opposition ahead of the 2024 widespread elections?
The Karnataka Assembly outcomes improve the democratic and secular forces inside the nation as a result of it has ensured the defeat of BJP. At the similar time, we must always at all times take into account that the Congress had the very best vote share inside the earlier Assembly polls too. We all know what occurred afterward. At least this time spherical, the Congress must be succesful to respect the parents and their mandate.
Alongside the Karnataka polls, bye-elections have been held to 2 Assembly seats in UP, one in Odisha and a Parliament seat in Punjab. In none of those seats did the Congress emerge as a distinguished participant. In quite a lot of the states, like Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Jharkhand, Bihar, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra and plenty of others., the Congress is each totally absent or is present solely marginally.
There are talks about fielding one Opposition candidate in opposition to BJP. Do you assume it is potential? What will be the Opposition method in states like Kerala the place Congress and CPM are in direct contest?
We have on a regular basis maintained that state-level coordination is step one for a joint effort in opposition to the BJP–RSS combine reasonably than the consultations on the nationwide diploma. The quite a few assembly election outcomes over the last few years present our technique is acceptable. I had talked in regards to the present bye-elections. In none of these seats did the BJP win. In reality, in some seats, the BJP wasn’t even a contender. This reality the entire further underlines the need for a regional technique to take care of them electorally. As far as Kerala goes, the BJP is nowhere inside the picture.
You have acknowledged that Congress in Kerala is a B workers of BJP. Will it injury Opposition unity on the nationwide diploma?
Our place depends on our experience in Kerala. You might recall that the Kerala unit of the BJP had written to the Union authorities to stop the occasion works of nationwide highways inside the state. Did the Congress not tow the similar line and try to stall our NH progress? Even regarding the GAIL pipeline and the Edamon–Kochi Power Highway, weren’t they attempting to torpedo them? Didn’t they file a case in opposition to LIFE Mission, our flagship mission to complete homelessness? Didn’t they’re saying that they’ll finish off the 4 Missions — Aardram, Haritha Keralam, LIFE and Pothu Vidyabhyasa Samrakshana Yajnam — in the event that they arrive to power? These initiatives have carried out a serious place in altering the face of Kerala since 2016. If you check out their stance on quite a few factors over the previous seven years, you presumably can see that they’ve mirrored the BJP’s place.
In guaranteeing Opposition unity, every celebration has a job to play. Each ought to understand their strengths and weaknesses and take sensible positions accordingly. Our criticism is that they are not coming as a lot because the anticipated ranges in opposing the BJP. They are however to return out of the slim confines of their parochial pursuits and petty factional politics.
Recently, you’ve alleged that PM Modi is deliberately attempting to belittle Kerala. You have moreover acknowledged that the Centre is trying to sabotage the Opposition-ruled states. What are your issues?
You might keep in mind the earlier Somalia jibe. It seems that the BJP thinks that by denigrating Kerala, they may win over the parents. They have been confirmed incorrect higher than as quickly as now. The essential concern is that the federal concepts enshrined in our Constitution mustn’t being adhered to. In reality, there is a rising tendency to restrict the home of the states and prohibit their belongings whereas centralisation is being pushed. This would not augur correctly for India’s federal polity. After all, we’re a country of selection with regional, cultural and linguistic identities. You cannot curtail their flourishing.
I needn’t go into how people’s verdicts have been subverted in quite a few states and the best way even the office of the Governor is being politically misused in Opposition-ruled states. Even the apex courtroom has come out time and again on the political misuse of the Central investigating companies.
The controversial film ‘The Kerala Story’ is inflicting unrest in various parts of India. The Bengal authorities banned the movie. Many are asking why the Kerala authorities did not ponder such an movement, which reveals the state in poor light with the ‘Love Jihad’ idea. How will you counter such narratives?
We have seen how people responded to such promotions. There is a board of film certification to look into factors related to movement photos. In Kerala, all sections of the parents bought right here out in opposition to this figment of creativeness with clear communal overtones. We are able to tell the excellence between reality and fiction. Hence, the parents merely did not problem to look at it.
We will definitely mission what the precise Kerala story is. The precise Kerala story incorporates the peaceful life the society leads proper right here, transcending the constraints of religion, the sense of oneness that every Keralite imbibes, which is marked by the noble values of fraternity displayed in abundance in our social life and the sizeable contribution the NRKs fetch to the worldwide reserves of India.
The precise Kerala story is that we’re most likely essentially the most literate state, our toddler and maternal mortality costs are at par with developed nations, our authorities colleges and hospitals have been adjudged as the proper inside the nation by various companies, along with NITI Aayog and so forth. No amount of false propaganda can undo any of this.
The BJP is particularly focussing on Kerala ahead of 2024. It is highlighting initiatives like ‘Vande Bharat trains’. Do you assume the BJP is likely to be worthwhile in its Kerala mission?
Is a single put together the yardstick of specific focus? In the railways alone, there are higher than half a dozen initiatives that haven’t been taken up no matter being included in its budgets. Then there’s the problem of outdated coaches, the inadequacy of companies, withholding of concessions, and plenty of others. You ought to try to make political mileage when you haven’t carried out your obligation.
We have been denied even the promised initiatives such as a result of the railway zone, coach manufacturing unit, and plenty of others. One mustn’t miss the forest for the timber. The people of Kerala are acutely aware of the share of taxes which had been denied to us, the funds that we’ve got been prevented from receiving, the prohibit of borrowings which had been curtailed, the initiatives which had been turned down and so forth. They are moreover acutely aware that for every rupee that is generated as earnings from Kerala, the Union would not even utilise even a meager portion of it for our state. So, the individuals are under no circumstances going to be carried away by propaganda.
The BJP is reaching out to Christian communities. Do you assume it will impression the political panorama?
The people of Kerala, along with Christians, have seen what has occurred in Chhattisgarh and Manipur inside the present earlier. Our individuals are correctly educated of Golwalkar and his ‘e-book, Bunch of Thoughts’. The BJP goes to be extra alienated.
Observers say the CPM is trying to woo IUML going by its softened stance within the route of the outfit. Is the celebration open to welcoming the IUML into its fold?
It is a hypothetical question, and as long as they proceed to be inside the UDF we don’t want to the touch upon it. It should be well-known that the IUML is the important thing constituent member of the UDF. Without the IUML, the UDF will not survive.
What is the standing of the Silver Line mission?
During his press meet on the Vande Bharat put together for Kerala, the railway minister himself had responded to journalists that they are discovering out the DPR and that the mission could possibly be very lots into consideration. We are optimistic.
As the CPM-led LDF authorities completes two years in office, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan spoke to Preetha Nair on his authorities’s achievements, deal with the Congress victory in Karnataka assembly polls, why he thinks Congress in Kerala is a mirror image of BJP, the precise Kerala story and additional…
Excerpts:
Do you assume Karnataka Assembly poll outcomes have catapulted Congress to the pole place of essential the Opposition ahead of the 2024 widespread elections?
The Karnataka Assembly outcomes improve the democratic and secular forces inside the nation as a result of it has ensured the defeat of BJP. At the similar time, we must always at all times take into account that the Congress had the very best vote share inside the earlier Assembly polls too. We all know what occurred afterward. At least this time spherical, the Congress must be succesful to respect the parents and their mandate.googletag.cmd.push(function() googletag.present(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); );
Alongside the Karnataka polls, bye-elections have been held to 2 Assembly seats in UP, one in Odisha and a Parliament seat in Punjab. In none of those seats did the Congress emerge as a distinguished participant. In quite a lot of the states, like Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Jharkhand, Bihar, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra and plenty of others., the Congress is each totally absent or is present solely marginally.
There are talks about fielding one Opposition candidate in opposition to BJP. Do you assume it is potential? What will be the Opposition method in states like Kerala the place Congress and CPM are in direct contest?
We have on a regular basis maintained that state-level coordination is step one for a joint effort in opposition to the BJP–RSS combine reasonably than the consultations on the nationwide diploma. The quite a few assembly election outcomes over the last few years present our technique is acceptable. I had talked in regards to the present bye-elections. In none of these seats did the BJP win. In reality, in some seats, the BJP wasn’t even a contender. This reality the entire further underlines the need for a regional technique to take care of them electorally. As far as Kerala goes, the BJP is nowhere inside the picture.
You have acknowledged that Congress in Kerala is a B workers of BJP. Will it injury Opposition unity on the nationwide diploma?
Our place depends on our experience in Kerala. You might recall that the Kerala unit of the BJP had written to the Union authorities to stop the occasion works of nationwide highways inside the state. Did the Congress not tow the similar line and try to stall our NH progress? Even regarding the GAIL pipeline and the Edamon–Kochi Power Highway, weren’t they attempting to torpedo them? Didn’t they file a case in opposition to LIFE Mission, our flagship mission to complete homelessness? Didn’t they’re saying that they’ll finish off the 4 Missions — Aardram, Haritha Keralam, LIFE and Pothu Vidyabhyasa Samrakshana Yajnam — in the event that they arrive to power? These initiatives have carried out a serious place in altering the face of Kerala since 2016. If you check out their stance on quite a few factors over the previous seven years, you presumably can see that they’ve mirrored the BJP’s place.
In guaranteeing Opposition unity, every celebration has a job to play. Each ought to understand their strengths and weaknesses and take sensible positions accordingly. Our criticism is that they are not coming as a lot because the anticipated ranges in opposing the BJP. They are however to return out of the slim confines of their parochial pursuits and petty factional politics.
Recently, you’ve alleged that PM Modi is deliberately attempting to belittle Kerala. You have moreover acknowledged that the Centre is trying to sabotage the Opposition-ruled states. What are your issues?
You might keep in mind the earlier Somalia jibe. It seems that the BJP thinks that by denigrating Kerala, they may win over the parents. They have been confirmed incorrect higher than as quickly as now. The essential concern is that the federal concepts enshrined in our Constitution mustn’t being adhered to. In reality, there is a rising tendency to restrict the home of the states and prohibit their belongings whereas centralisation is being pushed. This would not augur correctly for India’s federal polity. After all, we’re a country of selection with regional, cultural and linguistic identities. You cannot curtail their flourishing.
I needn’t go into how people’s verdicts have been subverted in quite a few states and the best way even the office of the Governor is being politically misused in Opposition-ruled states. Even the apex courtroom has come out time and again on the political misuse of the Central investigating companies.
The controversial film ‘The Kerala Story’ is inflicting unrest in various parts of India. The Bengal authorities banned the movie. Many are asking why the Kerala authorities did not ponder such an movement, which reveals the state in poor light with the ‘Love Jihad’ idea. How will you counter such narratives?
We have seen how people responded to such promotions. There is a board of film certification to look into factors related to movement photos. In Kerala, all sections of the parents bought right here out in opposition to this figment of creativeness with clear communal overtones. We are able to tell the excellence between reality and fiction. Hence, the parents merely did not problem to look at it.
We will definitely mission what the precise Kerala story is. The precise Kerala story incorporates the peaceful life the society leads proper right here, transcending the constraints of religion, the sense of oneness that every Keralite imbibes, which is marked by the noble values of fraternity displayed in abundance in our social life and the sizeable contribution the NRKs fetch to the worldwide reserves of India.
The precise Kerala story is that we’re most likely essentially the most literate state, our toddler and maternal mortality costs are at par with developed nations, our authorities colleges and hospitals have been adjudged as the proper inside the nation by various companies, along with NITI Aayog and so forth. No amount of false propaganda can undo any of this.
The BJP is particularly focussing on Kerala ahead of 2024. It is highlighting initiatives like ‘Vande Bharat trains’. Do you assume the BJP is likely to be worthwhile in its Kerala mission?
Is a single put together the yardstick of specific focus? In the railways alone, there are higher than half a dozen initiatives that haven’t been taken up no matter being included in its budgets. Then there’s the problem of outdated coaches, the inadequacy of companies, withholding of concessions, and plenty of others. You ought to try to make political mileage when you haven’t carried out your obligation.
We have been denied even the promised initiatives such as a result of the railway zone, coach manufacturing unit, and plenty of others. One mustn’t miss the forest for the timber. The people of Kerala are acutely aware of the share of taxes which had been denied to us, the funds that we’ve got been prevented from receiving, the prohibit of borrowings which had been curtailed, the initiatives which had been turned down and so forth. They are moreover acutely aware that for every rupee that is generated as earnings from Kerala, the Union would not even utilise even a meager portion of it for our state. So, the individuals are under no circumstances going to be carried away by propaganda.
The BJP is reaching out to Christian communities. Do you assume it will impression the political panorama?
The people of Kerala, along with Christians, have seen what has occurred in Chhattisgarh and Manipur inside the present earlier. Our individuals are correctly educated of Golwalkar and his ‘e-book, Bunch of Thoughts’. The BJP goes to be extra alienated.
Observers say the CPM is trying to woo IUML going by its softened stance within the route of the outfit. Is the celebration open to welcoming the IUML into its fold?
It is a hypothetical question, and as long as they proceed to be inside the UDF we don’t want to the touch upon it. It should be well-known that the IUML is the important thing constituent member of the UDF. Without the IUML, the UDF will not survive.
What is the standing of the Silver Line mission?
During his press meet on the Vande Bharat put together for Kerala, the railway minister himself had responded to journalists that they are discovering out the DPR and that the mission could possibly be very lots into consideration. We are optimistic.
