KOZHIKODE: In a sharp tit-for-tat, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Tuesday chose to retort in the same vein to his Telangana counterpart Revanth Reddy’s remarks, igniting a heated debate on the last day of campaigning in the state.
“Dash Mone Revanth, a reply is coming,” Pinarayi retaliated at a press conference in Kannur to Revanth’s ‘Nee Po Mone Vijayan’ jibe.
Campaigning for the Congress in Nemom on Monday, Revanth said Pinarayi’s “expiry date is over.” Echoing a dialogue from Mohanlal-starrer ‘Narasimham’, he quipped, ‘Nee Po Mone Vijayan’.
He later wrote to Pinarayi on his official letterhead, challenging him to a debate on development in Kerala and Telangana — signing off with the same refrain.
“Revanth Reddy is the chief minister of a state. A person holding such a post is expected to uphold a certain decorum. He should introspect whether his conduct matches the position. Anyway, as he has made the comment publicly, I too am giving the reply publicly,” Pinarayi said in Kannur.
Pinarayi soon wrote an official reply to Revanth, detailing the achievements Kerala has made in the past 10 years.
Revanth slams Pinarayi over gold smuggling
“You accused the LDF of not criticising the ruling BJP enough. Yet, it is the Government of Kerala that is fighting legal battles in the apex court under Articles 131 and 32 against the BJP-led government encroaching on the rights of the states. We are actively trying our best to bring states ruled by non-BJP parties on a common platform,” he said in the letter.
“We will go, but only forward. We will move forward by creating a Nava Kerala that will serve as a model for all,” he asserted.
Rebutting Vijayan’s statement, Revanth questioned why the gold smuggling case, with documented links to individuals connected to the Chief Minister’s Office, remains unresolved if Kerala is demonstrably clean in terms of corruption. “Why has 4.5 kg of gold allegedly misappropriated from the Sabarimala Ayyappa temple not been accounted for?” he asked.
Regarding Kerala’s development under the LDF rule, Revanth asked Vijayan to show the people of the state what had been achieved during its tenure. He further said, “You speak of 64,006 families still receiving micro-plans. I ask plainly: Has extreme poverty been eradicated? Was the November 1, 2025 declaration independently verified?”