Communist Party of India (Marxist) Polit Bureau member and Opposition leader in the Keralam Assembly Pinarayi Vijayan accused the Congress-led United Democratic Front government of advancing the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) agenda through education policies, university appointments, and development decisions.
He also defended KIIFB-funded projects in Kannur accusing the government of misrepresenting land acquisition and undermining the State’s overall development.
Speaking at an extended district committee meeting of the CPI(M) in Kannur on Sunday (October 18, 2026), he said the CPI(M) was playing a significant role in national politics by uniting democratic and secular forces against what he described as the RSS agenda pursued by the BJP led Union government.
He criticised Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged threats to voting rights and called for united resistance by democratic and secular forces.
“The BJP government is implementing the RSS agenda on a massive scale,” Vijayan alleged, arguing that the Centre’s domestic and foreign policies undermined India’s shared value, democracy and secularism.
“The beauty of democracy lies in the freedom to express different opinions,” he said, accusing the government of seeking to suppress dissent.
Mr. Vijayan alleged that the Citizenship Amendment Act promoted religion-based citizenship and said the LDF government had opposed implementing a National Register of Citizens in Kerala.
He claimed that the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls had affected thousands of voters in constituencies, lakhs in Kerala and more than 13 crore voters nationally. He accused Gyanesh Kumar of acting in the interest of the ruling establishment and said protests demanding his removal were intensifying with Left student and youth organisation playing a prominent role, despite alleged attacks on protesters and Member of Parliaments.
“ The strength of the people is paramount,” Mr. Vijayan said, urging the CPIM to unite all democratic and secular forces opposing the Election Commission of India’s alleged unconstitutional actions.
Turning to State politics, he alleged that the UDF government, despite being in office for only a few months, was pursuing the RSS agenda. He cited the full rendition of Vande Mataram at the swearing-in ceremony and the government’s push to implement the PM-SHRI Education scheme, which he said had previously faced opposition from parties other than the BJP, including the UDF.
He also accused the Governor, who’s the chancellor of state-run universities, of advancing RSS interests through vice-chancellor appointments and university committee nominations, contrasting this with the previous LDF government’s public criticism and legal challenges.
Defending KIIFB, Mr. Vijayan said approximately rupees one lakh crore had been allocated for projects across Kerala, with around rupees 40,000 crore worth implemented over ten years. He criticised the committee report commissioned by the UDF government that questioned spending in Kannur and challenged the Chief Minister’s reported claims that land acquisition costs were five times the relevant amount.
“Why is no impartial media organisation questioning such factually incorrect claims? he asked, accusing the media of failing to scrutinise the report.
He said land acquisition followed established legal procedures, with compensation determined under the law and recourse to courts available to land owners. Citing a landowner’s experience in Malappuram during National Highway acquisition, he said compensation could exceed expectations.
Mr. Vijayan argued that land near Kannur airport offered opportunities for future development unavailable around Thiruvananthapuram, Kochi and Karipur. Science parks, IT parks and industrial projects, he said, should benefit Keralam as a whole.
Citing the Kochi metro, smart city, Technopark and the Kochi-Bengaluru industrial corridor, he questioned why projects in Kannur were being portrayed negatively and identified Palakkad as another potential industrial hub.
He said schools, hospitals and infrastructure projects had benefited constituencies across Kerala, including those represented by the Chief Minister and Home Minister.
He credited KIIFB with enabling infrastructure development once considered beyond the State’s capabilities and accused the government of portraying these achievements negatively.
Published – October 18, 2026 11:49 am IST
