Thiruvananthapuram, May 29 (IANS) In his first interaction with the media after formally taking over as Leader of Opposition (LoP), Pinarayi Vijayan on Friday launched a measured but sharp critique of the maiden policy address of the Congress-led UDF government, accusing it of lacking clarity, direction and a concrete roadmap for Kerala’s future development.

Standing alone before the media at the Kerala Legislative Assembly, unlike the customary practice of the opposition leader appearing alongside allies, Vijayan sought to project both authority and restraint as he responded to Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar’s address outlining the priorities of Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan’s new government.

The former Chief Minister 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 strongly rejected 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 keeping it under the carpet 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 Centre’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 Centre’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,” 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, Vijayan adopted a cautious tone, noting 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.

Friday’s appearance marked Vijayan’s first major political intervention from the opposition benches, and signalled that while the Left may have lost power, it has little intention of surrendering the political narrative easily.

–IANS

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