Thiruvananthapuram (Keralam) [India], April 1 : Karnataka Minister Priyank Kharge on Wednesday accused Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan of being "hand in glove" with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, alleging that the Left Democratic Front (LDF) government has allowed the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to rule the state by proxy.
Speaking to reporters here, he said, "The people of Kerala have seen the misrule of the LDF over the past decade. Investments have slowed down, there has been no employment generation and more importantly, they have allowed the BJP to proxy rule this state. Have a look at how the narratives have been flowing in the state of Kerala. How the people of Kerala are bearing the brunt of the BJP and RSS narrative that is flowing through the LDF through propaganda movies like Kerala Story, Kerala Story 2, but the real Kerala Story is that Pinarayi Vijayan and Modi are hand in glove against the people of Kerala."
He remarked that the Prime Minister has time to congratulate a celebrity on their wedding, but does not have time to address the Sabarimala gold scandal, accusing him of remaining silent about allegations involving the Chief Minister's family.
"Have you ever seen the Chief Minister speak against Modi, or have you heard Modi say anything against Vijayan? Modi has the time to greet celebrity couples for their weddings, has the time to tweet about the performance of the Indian team, but has kept quiet on the Sabarimala gold scandal, and has kept quiet on the allegations of the Chief Minister's family over here," said Kharge.
Pointing to the absence of central agency raids against the CM despite various allegations, the Congress leader claimed that it is extremely evident that Vijayan is nothing but a puppet of the Modi government.
"How come no IT, ED raids are happening here? Whereas anywhere else the opposition does anything, the first thing that comes is a CBI directive, there is an IT notice, there is an ED raid. How come all those things are not happening here? It is extremely evident that Vijayan is nothing but a puppet of the Modi government," he stated.
Responding to CPI(M)'s claim of defeating the BJP, he replied, "He can claim what he wants. In the last 10 years, his report card has not resonated with the people of Kerala. That is why Congress and UDF are going to win this election because we have promised social empowerment, we have promised economic empowerment, and we have promised a Kerala that was once known as God's own country, to bring the shine back to it."
The Election Commission of India (ECI), on March 15, announced that the 2026 Keralam legislative assembly elections will be held in a single phase on April 9, with counting of votes scheduled for May 4. The tenure of the current assembly is set to conclude on May 23.