In the final days of campaigning for the April 9 assembly elections, a heated exchange between Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and his Telangana counterpart Revanth Reddy escalated into a contentious argument.
The controversy began when Vijayan used Malayalam expressions, which were considered derogatory, in response to Reddy's earlier comments, signaling strong disapproval of Reddy's remarks.
Reddy, who was campaigning for the UDF in Pathanapuram, swiftly retaliated, comparing Vijayan to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
He stated that he would view Vijayan's comments as a "compliment" given his age, but objected to what he described as disrespectful remarks directed at the people of Kerala. "You cannot insult our people," he said.
The controversy started after Reddy used the phrase "nee po mone Vijaya" in invoking a famous dialogue from superstar Mohanlal's film "Narasimham" while referring to Vijayan on April 1 during a UDF campaign roadshow in Nemom constituency.
Earlier that day, while reacting to Reddy's previous remarks during a press conference in Kannur, Vijayan stated that a chief minister must maintain basic standards of conduct and questioned whether such standards were being followed.
Vijayan said that he would respond at the appropriate time.
In his response to the media, Vijayan used Malayalam words that were seen as derogatory in reference to Reddy, signaling his disapproval of the remarks made against him.
Congress leader V D Satheesan sharply criticized Vijayan, stating that he appeared to have "completely lost composure" and warned that further deterioration in his conduct would bring "greater embarrassment" to the state.
Satheesan said, "Kerala would have had to bow its head in shame."
In a sarcastic remark, Satheesan also said he did not have time to advise Reddy to refrain from commenting on Vijayan, alleging that Vijayan tends to respond using "derogatory language".
After the critical remarks during the press conference, Vijayan posted on his 'X' handle stating that political differences are natural, but expressing strong disagreement through personally insulting remarks is an attitude that he rejects.
Vijayan also said Reddy's statements lack factual backing.
In a detailed letter attached to his 'X' post, Vijayan said the experience of the people of Kerala was "vastly different" from what Reddy had portrayed.
Vijayan clarified that he did not intend to engage in a debate over the performance of the Telangana government, stating that it was for the people of Telangana and political parties there to assess their government.
Referring to Reddy's comments made during the election campaign in Kerala, Vijayan said the LDF government has been consistently publishing progress reports over the past 10 years on the implementation of its election promises, underlining its commitment to continuous accountability.
He also rejected the allegation of "selective appropriation" of Kerala's achievements, including its top ranking in the NITI Aayog SDG Index, and said such criticism was misplaced.
Dismissing claims of industrial stagnation, Vijayan said Kerala has made significant strides in the startup ecosystem and ease of doing business, adding that these achievements have been widely acknowledged.
The chief minister also alleged that key infrastructure projects in Kerala, including the Kochi Metro and Vizhinjam Port, faced delays under previous Congress-led governments at the Centre, while long-pending promises such as a railway coach factory remained unfulfilled.
Vijayan further accused the BJP-led Union government of discrimination against Kerala and said the state has been actively resisting what he described as "anti-federal and undemocratic" policies through legal and political means, including approaching the Supreme Court.
He also rejected Reddy's criticism that the LDF was not vocal enough against the BJP, asserting that Kerala has been at the forefront of defending constitutional values.
Concluding his letter, Vijayan reiterated the state government's commitment to building a "Nava Keralam" and moving forward as a model for others.
On April 1, while addressing party workers in Nemom, Reddy used the popular Malayalam film dialogue "Nee po mone Vijaya" from 'Narasimham'. He adapted it to target Vijayan, saying "Nee po mone Vijaya", which drew loud cheers from the crowd.
Reddy went further, claiming that Vijayan's "time is over" and that his "expiry date has passed".
"Your time is over. Your expiry date is over. You don't have any time to continue. Now, the UDF's time has come," he had said during the roadshow.
Responding to these allegations, Vijayan had said that the Telangana CM was "misinformed" and accused him of "ridiculing" Kerala and its people while trying to hide the weaknesses of his own state.
In a later response, Reddy defended his remarks and said that many of the statistics cited by Vijayan were taken from the NITI Aayog SDG Index 2023 24, arguing that the data was already outdated.