A Telangana Congress leader stated CM Revanth Reddy’s Kerala visit had a major impact, challenging the state to a development comparison. This follows Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan’s sharp retort against what he called Reddy’s ‘baseless’ remarks.
Congress Defends Reddy’s Kerala Visit, Challenges Vijayan
Telangana Congress leader Sama Ram Mohan Reddy on Friday stated that the strong reaction from Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan underscores the impact Telangana CM Revanth Reddy has had on the Kerala Assembly election. Speaking to ANI, the Congress leader defended the Telangana development model and challenged the Kerala government to a comparison of welfare and progress between the two states. “Our CM, Revanth Reddy, visited Kerala for only two days for the Assembly election campaign. The response from Pinarayi Vijayan shows the impact of Revanth Reddy on Kerala elections. We are prepared to compare the development and welfare of Kerala to Telangana,” Sama Ram Mohan Reddy said.
He further emphasised that the Telangana Chief Minister’s visit to Kerala was intended to present an alternative governance model to the people of Kerala. “That’s why our CM went to Kerala to explain the development model of Telangana. People are being deprived of their rightful shares, yet Pinarayi Vijayan is mute on a few things where he should have fought with the central government,” the Congress leader added.
Kerala CM Hits Back at ‘Baseless’ Remarks
The remarks come after a political standoff between the two states’ leadership. Earlier in the day, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan launched a riposte against Revanth Reddy’s recent “disparaging remarks” against Kerala, terming them as “entirely baseless” and suggesting that the Telangana Chief Minister should focus on his own state’s shortcomings in poverty and literacy instead of “preaching” to Kerala.
Vijayan mentioned that Telangana officials recently visited Kerala to study its digital land record system. “Just recently, on Sept 16, 2025, a high-level team of Revenue & Survey officials from Telangana visited Thiruvananthapuram to study Kerala’s proud digital land record system, ‘Ente Bhoomi’ (ILIMS). How hypocritical is it for the CM to publicly mock the very same Kerala governance model his own government is trying to emulate?” he asked on X.
The Comments That Sparked the Row
Revanth Reddy on Thursday, while releasing the United Democratic Front (UDF) manifesto for the upcoming Kerala Assembly elections in Kochi, had claimed that the “dark era” of the Vijayan government was ending and a “golden era” under the UDF was set to begin. Addressing the gathering, Reddy asserted that a transformative change, similar to what Telangana has been witnessing since 2023, is poised to take place in Kerala soon. The CM exuded confidence that Keralam people would oust the Pinarayi Vijayan government from power.
Upcoming Kerala Assembly Elections
Polling for the 2026 Keralam Legislative Assembly elections will be held on April 9, with the counting of votes on May 4. The tenure of the current assembly is set to conclude on May 23. (ANI)
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)