Overview
- Union minister Ramdas Athawale publicly asked Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan to align with the BJP-led NDA, calling the switch a "revolutionary" step that would bring more money for Kerala.
- Athawale said Prime Minister Narendra Modi would give a "big package" to the state if Vijayan and the CPI(M) joined the alliance.
- He argued that joining the NDA would ensure victory in the upcoming assembly polls and allow Vijayan to return as chief minister.
- CPI(M) state secretary M V Govindan condemned the remarks as undemocratic and unconstitutional and reiterated the party's claim that Kerala was denied roughly Rs 2 lakh crore over five years.
- The exchange follows Left-led protests over alleged delays and cuts in central transfers, as the NDA seeks greater foothold in a three-way contest in Kerala later this year with no sign of a shift by the CPI(M).