The war of letters has intensified between the Chief Ministers of Telangana and Kerala. When Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said that he did not want to get into a debate with Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy, Revanth Reddy wrote a detailed reply letter on Tuesday, deflating each of Vijayan’s claims.
Revanth Reddy first objected to Vijayan’s language in his letter. He wrote that I wanted to reply in a respectful and decent manner, but the language of your letter was objectionable. After this he cornered Vijayan on one issue at a time.
Reddy asked four questions
The first question was on the ‘achievements’ of Kerala. Revanth Reddy wrote that whatever progress Kerala has made is the result of the hard work of the previous UDF governments. Tell the people of Kerala what happened during the two consecutive LDF governments.
Taken to task over the data of SDG Index 2023-24
The second sharp question was regarding NITI Aayog’s SDG Index 2023-24. Revanth Reddy clarified that the period in which Vijayan is imposing figures on Telangana was the last phase of ten years of BRS-BJP misrule. The present Congress government should be judged on the basis of its work of 28 months. He said that Telangana’s GSDP in 2024-25 will be Rs 16.12 lakh crore, which is ahead of the national average of 9.9% with a growth rate of 10.7%. According to RBI Handbook, Telangana has left behind Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra and Kerala.
Has poverty really ended?
The third question was on Vijayan’s claim in which he had talked about eliminating extreme poverty from Kerala by 2025. Revanth Reddy asked, ‘April 2026 has come and in your own letter 64,006 families are still dependent on the schemes, so has poverty really ended?’
Targeted regarding gold smuggling case
The most sharp question was on gold smuggling. Revanth Reddy asked, if the Kerala government is so clean, then why is the gold smuggling case unresolved even after the involvement of senior officials of your office has been proved with documents? And why is the alleged illegal transportation of 4.5 kg gold from Sabarimala temple not being answered?