BJP will draw a blank this time too, says Pinarayi Vijayan

A ample fig of incumbent MLAs person been renominated by the Left front. No anti-incumbency?

There’s nary anti-incumbency due to the fact that radical consciousness that the authorities has strived to instrumentality to the champion of its abilities what the radical wanted. Ten years ago, Kerala was successful a shambles, but we brought astir a oversea alteration successful each sectors. Now, our Vision 2031 delineates the achievable goals successful each assemblage successful bid to make Kerala successful measurement with the modern times.

Our younker privation the higher acquisition assemblage to beryllium strengthened further. If nary instauration from Kerala featured among the 100 apical institutions nationally successful 2016, eighteen Kerala colleges are connected the database now. It’s the effect of progressive interventions, which telephone for a continuance.

We person fostered research, modern-day courses and accomplishment improvement of the youth, linking the academia to industries. Our industry-friendliness is attracting apical players from each implicit the satellite and everyone, but reddish industries, is welcome. We person a pre-eminent startup ecosystem.

But contempt this, the Left suffered a jolt successful the caller section assemblage polls.

Each predetermination follows a unsocial pattern. It was a section election, and we suffered setbacks astatine a fewer places which bash not bespeak the nationalist sentiment crossed the State. We consciousness a favourable ambiance now.

The BJP advances the ‘develop Kerala’ slogan but the Left accuses the Centre of stifling the State.

While it harps connected ‘develop Kerala’ now, has the Centre done thing to make Kerala? Despite repeated appeals and the stupendous feats successful nationalist healthcare, we person not got an AIIMS. When the State was deed by disasters, the Centre not lone turned its back, but blocked enactment from the countries which stock a heavy enslaved with Kerala. Did immoderate different State successful India person specified ignominious attraction successful the look of a disaster? It was conscionable us. Didn’t it show a mentality that wanted to spot the State perish?

The Centre sided with those who opposed connected governmental grounds the K-Rail task meant to augment our transport infrastructure.

Was determination immoderate assistance erstwhile Wayanad was deed by landslides? Now, erstwhile it offers to ‘develop Kerala’, bash radical not spot the duplicity? They do!

The State is denied its rightful stock of taxes and our borrowing bounds has been slashed considerably. Doesn’t each this smack of vendetta?

What’s your instrumentality connected the BJP’s Christian outreach and the Left’s narration with the community?

We person a bully narration with each communities. All sections of Christians, unneurotic forming a important assemblage successful the State, person a bully narration with the government. The BJP whitethorn harbour galore desires, but thing is going to materialise and determination volition beryllium nary consolidation successful its favour.

Will SIR power the electoral outcome?

Concerns person been raised astir SIR successful immoderate constituencies wherever the fig of voters has declined sharply. But determination should beryllium much clarity connected this.

How bash you halt the BJP successful its tracks? Who is amended poised to bash that, the Congress oregon the Left?

The Congress is incapable to bash that. It acts arsenic the BJP’s B-team, adjacent nationally. Only the Left has steadfastly resisted the BJP, which it volition proceed adjacent much vigorously. And the BJP is improbable to marque immoderate electoral summation this clip either.

Nationally, lone a agreed combat is imaginable against the BJP, but the Congress ever foils specified bids by vitiating the atmosphere, giving the BJP an edge. Congress leaders including Rahul Gandhi garbage to larn from their mistakes.

Is the Left successful Kerala connected the antiaircraft pursuing defections by past legislators specified arsenic G. Sudhakaran, Aisha Potty, S. Rajendran, C.C. Mukundan, P.K. Sasi and the likes to the Congress and the BJP? There is revolt successful Kannur arsenic well.

It’s greed for positions and a nonaccomplishment of values that has driven them all. Despite being good recognised, G. Sudhakaran couldn’t header with the party’s argumentation of age-bound status from committees. He betrayed the party, conspired with the UDF and is contesting the election.

The aforesaid is the lawsuit with others. S. Rajendran, it’s heard, needed the BJP’s assistance excessively to resoluteness immoderate issues. T.K. Govindan’s grouse was that nary 1 successful the committee projected his candidature and helium chose to go an axe successful the hands of the UDF against the CPI(M).

All of them betrayed the party. But we volition triumph hands down successful each the constituencies wherever they are contesting.

Sudhakaran is successful Alappuzha, a territory astir beloved to us, with the memories and contented of the Punnapra-Vayalar uprising profoundly rooted successful its soil. No deviant volition person an interaction successful Alappuzha, which behaves arsenic itself.

And T.K. Govindan chose to masquerade his greed by questioning the candidature of P.K. Shyamala, who is joined to CPI(M) State caput M.V. Govindan. Her candidature is astir appropriate, arsenic she has held galore responsibilities successful the enactment and was a DYFI idiosyncratic and progressive enactment subordinate adjacent earlier their marriage. She has an individuality of her own.

There are the allegations of illness of the nationalist wellness sector.

Media houses similar yours should analyse wherefore there’s been a abrupt uproar implicit the issues successful the wellness sector. The nationalist wellness assemblage successful Kerala has grown considerably from 2016, erstwhile it was successful a authorities of collapse, and this helped america flooded the challenges including the pandemic. We progressed further and attained an IMR of 5, amended than that of the US. Even the affluent are utilizing nationalist wellness institutions now. But multinational monopolies are acquiring our backstage hospitals, causing the wellness expenditure to spike. The smear run against the nationalist wellness strategy is for their benefit.

On the Sabarimala golden theft and the government’s submissions successful SC — volition it interaction the polls?

It’s not going to impact america arsenic the radical person understood the information astir it. The High Court is supervising the probe and has made it wide that there’s nary outer interference. The probe is successful the close absorption and nary blameworthy volition spell scot-free.

As for the submissions, we responded to a acceptable of questions with clarity. The contented of women’s introduction to the temple wasn’t portion of the questions. We reiterated what we had said successful 2007: that spiritual scholars, experts and societal reformers should beryllium consulted portion addressing the question of temple customs and rituals.

Your repeated utterances against Jamaat-e-Islami (Hind) are being interpreted arsenic an onslaught connected the Muslim community.

To unopen our mouths, we are sought to beryllium portrayed arsenic anti-Hindu erstwhile we onslaught the RSS and arsenic anti-Muslim erstwhile we talk against JEI. We are neither and volition proceed to talk against some bulk and number communalism regardless. Vast sections of bulk and number communities are secular and we basal with them.

Is the livelihood nonaccomplishment and emergence successful substance prices owed tothe warfare successful West Asia a canvass issue?

Any contented that impacts radical tin go an predetermination issue. A bully fig of radical who are to ballot successful our State person to travel from overseas to bash that. Despite the difficulties, they travel down and vote. But they are each anxious astir the unfolding situation. Our home kitchens are affected. There are radical who beryllium connected eateries for nutrient and are facing trouble now. Fuel shortage is being felt bigtime.

If we had implemented the state pipeline from Iran, we wouldn’t person been successful this situation. It was the Manmohan Singh-led authorities that shelved the task nether unit from the US. It was done during the atomic woody erstwhile it was said the US would springiness america fuel. Are they giving anything? Still, we are pandering to America’s interests.

Was the Global Ayyappa Sangamam a misstep?

Never. It was the Travancore Devaswom Board that organised the event. Sabarimala is the astir important temple managed by the board, and radical from each implicit the satellite sojourn the temple. The committee intended to bring them each unneurotic and item it. Wasn’t determination a determination to clasp a parallel Ayyappa Sangamam? It failed miserably. Our Ayyappa Sangamam was a expansive occurrence and it appealed to a secular community.