Pinarayi Vijayan Slams US ‘Imperialist Aggression’ on Venezuela, Hits Out at Centre’s Silence

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Thursday launched an attack on what he termed American “imperialist aggression” against Venezuela, alleging that the United States had violated the country’s sovereignty and abducted its elected President.

Addressing a press conference, he said democratic forces across the world must strongly oppose such actions, warning that any country could face a similar fate in the future.

Criticising the union government, the Chief Minister alleged that New Delhi was displaying subservience to the US, noting that the Ministry of External Affairs did not even mention America by name in its statement on the issue.

He also accused the Congress of following the same line, citing instances such as US President Donald Trump’s repeated tariff threats against India and the naming of public infrastructure after him by a Congress-ruled state.

Vijayan alleged that sections of the media were attempting to normalise the US action in Venezuela while simultaneously spreading misinformation on Kerala’s policies, particularly the state’s extreme poverty eradication programme.

He clarified that EPEP 2.0 was a continuation of the earlier initiative, aimed at preventing relapse into poverty and identifying new cases, and not a corrective step following any failure.

Defending Kerala’s economic approach, the Chief Minister said the state had benefited from retaining a strong planning mechanism even after the Centre dismantled the Planning Commission.

Referring to a recent study by the National Institute of Public Finance and Policy (NIPFP), he said most states that abandoned planning witnessed a decline in capital expenditure, while Kerala increased investment by strengthening its planning process.

He added that Kerala’s performance would be even stronger if investments routed through KIIFB were fully accounted for.

Highlighting the revival of public sector enterprises, Vijayan said sustained government intervention had enabled state PSUs to record a combined turnover of Rs 5,135.89 crore, a 15.14 per cent increase over the previous year, with more units turning profitable.

He noted that while many states saw a steep fall in the number of public sector factories due to privatisation, Kerala had largely maintained stability.

On the Justice J.B. Koshy Commission, which examined the educational and economic backwardness of Christian minorities, the Chief Minister said action had been completed on a majority of its recommendations and assured that the remaining ones would be implemented expeditiously. A meeting of stakeholders will be held on February 6 to deliberate further steps.

Announcing the fifth session of the Loka Kerala Sabha, Vijayan said it would be held from January 29 to 31, with representation expanded to 125 countries, making it a major global forum of the Malayali diaspora.

He also announced major KIIFB-funded projects in Kuttanad, including Rs 103.73 crore for cleaning the Pazhukkanila lake and a Rs 104-crore development project for the Malarikkal lotus village, aimed at flood mitigation and protection of paddy cultivation.

The Chief Minister further announced a Satyagraha on January 12 at the Martyrs’ Column in Thiruvananthapuram to protest what he described as the union government’s continued “economic squeeze” on Kerala through restrictions on the state’s borrowing limits, and appealed for public support.