PINARAYI GETS ON THE BUS

The Opposition is often found calculating the dent it could make in the ruling BJP’s Lok Sabha tally in one state or the other.

- Jeemon Jacob

The focus rarely goes to internal competition within the INDIA bloc. But look no further than Kerala for a compelling counter-image: the Congress had won 15 of its 20 seats in 2019, over one-fourth of its national tally of 52. Pinarayi Vijayan, the dour-faced chief minister and CPI(M) strongman, is on a mission to ensure there will be no easy encore. ‘Navakerala Sadas (New Kerala Conference)’, a 36-day bus tour from the state’s northern tip to capital Thiruvananthapuram in the deep south by the CM and his ‘mobile cabinet’, is on its last leg. india today’s Jeemon Jacob travelled on board the bus on a short stretch from Perumbavoor to Kothamangalam in Ernakulam district on December 10 and spoke to Pinarayi. Excerpts from the interaction:

On the Navakerala Sadas

It has become a people’s movement and evoked great response, cutting across politics, religion and age. More and more people are joining it and sharing their developmental dreams. I’m touched by their enthusiasm. It makes me more responsible about my task. The cheering crowds in every nook and corner of the state indicate they support the Left Democratic Front government’s good governance.