M V Govindan slams Opposition for belittling Kerala’s poverty-free feat

Thiruvananthapuram: Even as Kerala proudly declared itself free from extreme poverty, marking a milestone achievement recognised across the world, the Opposition and a section of the media have chosen to downplay and distort this people’s victory, said CPI M state secretary M V Govindan.

While national media highlighted Kerala’s progress as a model for the entire country, the right-wing media responded with peculiar hostility. Leaders of the Congress and BJP, unwilling to acknowledge Kerala’s collective effort, issued statements seeking to undermine the success. A BJP leader went so far as to claim it was the Modi government’s achievement, despite the Centre withholding nearly two lakh crore rupees due to the state.

The Opposition’s reaction, alleging that the project was politically motivated and financially impossible, exposes its disregard for the struggles of ordinary people. “Their concern is not for the poor, but for politics. Once the government continues its work, they will have nothing to worry about,” Govindan remarked.

From national highway construction and the GAIL pipeline to the Wayanad tunnel project, the Opposition has consistently stood against Kerala’s development. The same mindset is evident among Congress’s lower ranks too. In Cherthala municipality, a Congress councillor was caught taking food coupons meant for destitute beneficiaries under the ‘Extreme Poverty-Free Kerala’ programme. Neither the Congress leadership reacted to the incident, nor did the right-wing media find it newsworthy, Govindan said at the press conference.