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Telangana Chief Minister and Congress leader A Revanth Reddy on Tuesday expressed his willingness to engage in a direct, fact-based debate with Keralam Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, amid an intensifying political exchange between the two leaders ahead of the 2026 Keralam Assembly elections.
Speaking on the controversy over his earlier "dark era" remarks about Keralam, Reddy said, "I am ready to debate with Pinarayi Vijayan whenever he gives me the opportunity. My point is, who is his role model? Narendra Modi and Amit Shah, or Jyoti Basu and Somnath Chatterjee? Pinarayi Vijayan is following Narendra Modi as his role model, and this is not acceptable to people of Keralam. He is campaigning like one more Narendra Modi." Reddy criticised Vijayan for allegedly misquoting data and politicising comparisons between Telangana and Keralam. "The competition is not going between Telangana and Kerala. The fight is going in Kerala between LDF and UDF. He has to answer for the Kerala people, not Telangana. He is making it appear as if the election is between Telangana and Kerala," he said. He highlighted discrepancies in Vijayan's use of the NITI Aayog SDG Index, stating that much of the data cited pertained to the 2023-24 period, which predates the current Congress government in Telangana. "A quick preliminary observation: virtually every statistic you cite is from the NITI Aayog SDG Index 2023-24 - a period representing the tail-end of a disastrous decade for Telangana. That era ended in December 2023. You are measuring our recovery by data that predates our government," Reddy said. On poverty, he questioned Vijayan's claim that Keralam would eradicate extreme poverty by late 2025, noting that the timeline has passed. "We are now in April 2026. Did it happen? Or was it, like many LDF promises, still a work in progress?" he asked. Addressing literacy and healthcare, Reddy emphasised Telangana's progress since its formation in 2014. "Kerala's 95.3% literacy rate versus Telangana's 76.9% is cited to belittle us. Telangana, carved out in 2014 from a state with deep regional inequities, has brought literacy from 72% in 2011 to 76.9% in a decade. Our investment in schools and Gurukul institutions continues to narrow this gap," he said. On healthcare, he criticised selective comparisons of Keralam's infant mortality rate (IMR) with that of the United States. "Your claim that Kerala's IMR of 5 per 1,000 live births is better than the USA's 5.6 is a factual cherry-pick. Telangana's IMR has fallen sharply, with Rajiv Aarogyasri now covering 10 lakh per family, 99.9% institutional deliveries, and rapid hospital infrastructure expansion. Kerala's achievement took 70 years; we are closing the gap in just a decade," Reddy noted. He also called out Vijayan for emulating PM Narendra Modi in his campaign style. "You see, wherever you go, only Pinarayi Vijayan posters and cut-outs are there. Even Panchayat elections are contested in the name of Modi. How can a senior leader insult Kerala people in this way?" Reddy extended an invitation for a debate in Thiruvananthapuram, saying, "Since you are a senior leader, I am happy to come on April 7 and share our data directly, to hear your views in a positive, fact-based discussion. I extend this invitation with genuine respect." The Telangana CM also highlighted political dynamics, alleging that Vijayan avoids criticising Narendra Modi due to legal protections. "It is clear why Pinarayi Vijayan avoids criticising Modi while targeting Rahul Gandhi. He is embroiled in several cases, including the gold smuggling and Sabarimala gold theft cases. His protector resides in Delhi, so he remains silent on Modi, who shields him," Reddy said. He contrasted this with investigations faced by the Gandhi family, saying, "While Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi have faced numerous investigations despite their sacrifices, Pinarayi Vijayan remains untouched. The people of Kerala have recognised this, and significant political change is imminent in the state." The controversy follows Reddy's launch of the UDF manifesto for the Keralam Assembly elections on April 3, when he declared the end of the "dark era" and the start of a "golden era" under the UDF. Vijayan responded on April 4, calling Reddy's remarks "entirely baseless" and urging him to focus on Telangana's shortcomings rather than "preaching" to Keralam. Keralam will go to the polls for the 2026 Legislative Assembly elections on April 9, with counting on May 4. The current assembly's tenure ends on May 23. (ANI)
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