Thiruvananthapuram, Mar 17 (PTI) Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Monday stated that Kerala is widely regarded as a model for the entire country.
Speaking during the discussion on demands for grants in the Assembly, he said, “This reputation is not just based on development achievements, welfare initiatives, or progressive legislation. It also extends to the overall societal framework. From law and order to communal harmony, Kerala holds a pioneering position.” Kerala is not a state that succumbs to communal forces or sustains power for their benefit, he claimed.
“Here, action is taken with an iron fist, regardless of which force is behind communal subversive activities,” he added.
Nine years ago, the situation was different. That is the key distinction. Today, the police are empowered to act decisively and fairly. People recognise this difference—so does the entire country. This is why Kerala is widely regarded as a model state in maintaining law and order, CM claimed.
Earlier, senior Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala, in his speech, strongly criticised the CPI(M)-led LDF government for its poor governance and growing factionalism within the IAS and IPS cadres.
He alleged that a senior police officer was consulting RSS leaders on key decisions, warning that such political interference compromises the government’s credibility.
Chennithala further accused the government of “granting illegal paroles” and allowing a surge in criminal activity.
However, CM stated that his government will continue strong enforcement activities to tackle the drug menace.
“The Kerala police recently nabbed the state’s biggest inter-state drug racket kingpin from Odisha. They arrested the owner of a drug manufacturing plant operating in a private industrial estate in Hyderabad in another case. They also apprehended Tanzanian nationals linked to the international drug mafia. What do these actions prove? One kind of politics turns a blind eye to international drug smuggling, while another actively fights it. The difference is clear”, he stated.
He further claimed that Kerala has the highest conviction rate in drug-related cases in India.
While the national average stands at 78 percent, Kerala’s rate is around 99 percent. In comparison, Tamil Nadu has a conviction rate of 82 percent, while Telangana and Andhra Pradesh hover around 25 percent, CM stated.
“These figures demonstrate the efficiency of Kerala’s law enforcement and judicial systems in upholding law and order. But what was the situation when the UDF, now in opposition, was in power?” he asked.
Under the Left Democratic Front’s (LDF) rule, the Kerala police has set a model for the entire country in handling investigations, the Chief Minister claimed.
However, he cited that strict action has been taken against the police officers who named the accused in various cases, without any bias.
“Over the past eight years, 108 police officers have been dismissed from service”, he stated.
In line with the government’s ‘Zero Tolerance for Corruption’ policy, the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB) is ensuring prompt and corruption-free services to the public, CM claimed.
To crack down on bribery, VACB has launched ‘Operation Spot Trap,’ mobilizing all its units to catch officials demanding or accepting bribes.
As a result, 18 corrupt officials were arrested, and 17 cases were registered in January and February 2025, he added.
He also reaffirmed that Kerala’s governance does not bow to communal forces or divisive politics.
The discussion witnessed a political blame game between the opposition and the ruling benches in the Assembly.
Criticising the opposition, Vijayan accused them of attempting to tarnish the government’s image with “baseless” allegations.
Referring to the Walayar case in which two girls were found hanging in their house in 2017, where the opposition demanded a CBI probe, the CM said the very person they championed later became an accused.
On the parole granted to the accused in the TP Chandrasekharan murder case, Vijayan maintained that the Covid-19 pandemic led to an increase in parole durations, with some extending up to 651 days.
He argued that selective denial of parole to certain individuals would have been unjust.
However, responding to Chennithala’s demand for intervention in the issue of Civil Police Officer (CPO) rank holders, who have not been appointed from the rank list, the Chief Minister assured that the government would take all possible measures before the rank list expires in April this year. PTI ARM ARM ROH
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