Telangana CM hits headlines in Keralam News

Revanth comments ignited heated debate during election campaign

(Shankar Raj)

Usually when chief ministers of other states visit Keralam for election campaign, they do not grab headlines. Not Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy. In one of his campaigns in the state, he said: “Nee po mone Vijaya” (Go away, son/kid, Vijayan) to tell Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan that his expiry date in power was over.

This remark, tailored to attack the Kerala CM, was a modification of an iconic dialogue—”Nee po mone Dinesha”—from the 2000s Malayalam film Narasimham—by Mohanlal.

స్పోర్ట్స్ ఉన్నతికి సీఎం కిక్ స్టార్ట్

Reddy used the phrase during a UDF campaign roadshow in Nemom, Keralam, for the 2026 assembly elections. He aimed to convey that Vijayan’s “expiry date” had passed and the Congress-led UDF was set to come to power.

 In his speech, he referred to Vijayan as having an “understanding” with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, calling them “brothers” and alleging a “dark era” of administration in Kerala.

Keralam Chief Minister responded with a sharp rebuke, calling his Telangana counterpart:  “dash mone Revantha” (a phrase referencing an abuse), and warned him to stop making “misinformed” remarks about Kerala’s development.

Reddy’s remarks had ignited a heated debate on the last day of campaigning in the state.

Vijayan later wrote to Pinarayi on his official letterhead, challenging him to a debate on development in Keralam and Telangana — signing off with the same refrain.

“Revanth Reddy is the chief minister of a state. A person holding such a post is expected to uphold a certain decorum. He should introspect whether his conduct matches the position. Anyway, as he has made the comment publicly, I too am giving the reply publicly,” Pinarayi said in Kannur.

The CM detailed the achievements Keralam has made in the past 10 years.

“You accused the LDF of not criticising the ruling BJP enough. Yet, it is the Government of Keralam that is fighting legal battles in the apex court under Articles 131 and 32 against the BJP-led government encroaching on the rights of the states. We are actively trying our best to bring states ruled by non-BJP parties on a common platform,” he said in the letter.

“We will go, but only forward. We will move forward by creating a Nava Keralam that will serve as a model for all,” he asserted.

Rebutting Vijayan’s statement, Revanth questioned why the gold smuggling case, with documented links to individuals connected to the Chief Minister’s Office, remains unresolved if Keralam is demonstrably clean in terms of corruption. “Why has 4.5 kg of gold allegedly misappropriated from the Sabarimala Ayyappa temple not been accounted for?” he asked.

Regarding Keralam’s development under the LDF rule, Revanth asked Vijayan to show the people of the state what had been achieved during its tenure. He further said, “You speak of 64,006 families still receiving micro-plans. I ask plainly: Has extreme poverty been eradicated? Was the November 1, 2025 declaration independently verified?”

(Author is a senior retired Editor based at Bengaluru)