Thiruvananthapuram, Jan 20 (NationPress) The Leader of Opposition (LoP) V.D. Satheesan vehemently criticized the Pinarayi Vijayan government's policy address on Tuesday, labeling it a document “packed with inaccuracies and half-truths” that revealed the administration's shortcomings and severe financial turmoil.

Following the conclusion of Governor Rajendra V. Arlekar's 112-minute address, LoP Satheesan remarked that the policy statement was essentially an admission of fiscal failure.

He highlighted the Kerala government’s repeated assertions regarding an expected Rs 53,000 crore from the Centre, noting that this figure was conspicuously absent from the address and previous submissions to the Supreme Court.

“Various figures are being manipulated for political expediency,” he asserted. Satheesan also criticized the government’s assertion of promoting secular and democratic values.

He referenced the controversial comments made by State Minister of Fisheries Saji Cherian, arguing that the government's moral stance was undermined by retaining such a minister in the Cabinet.

Describing the claim that Kerala had eradicated extreme poverty as a “cruel injustice to the impoverished,” the Opposition leader emphasized that recent media reports had exposed the harsh realities faced by individuals lacking basic necessities.

Satheesan pointed out that nearly 600,000 families remained classified as extremely poor, even as the government boasted of success by offering limited support to a small segment of the population.

In terms of healthcare, Satheesan remarked that the sector was “on a ventilator,” citing an uptick in infectious diseases such as amoebic meningoencephalitis, jaundice, and chickenpox.

He noted that 120,000 individuals sought treatment for fever alone in 2026, while also highlighting Rs 1,200 crore in pending payments under the Karunya health scheme initiated during the Oommen Chandy administration.

He dismissed claims of excellence in higher education, pointing out vacant Vice-Chancellor and Principal positions, a failed four-year course structure, and a significant student exodus.

Satheesan stated that university operations had deteriorated drastically.

He alleged that the government’s welfare claims for Scheduled Castes and Tribes were misleading, noting that for the first time in the State’s history, the plan fund had stagnated, with cuts of Rs 500 crore from the SC fund and Rs 112 crore from the ST fund, along with delays in e-grants causing students to drop out.

Law and order, he stated, had declined, with an increase in crimes, drug trafficking, and unregulated criminal networks.

He also brought attention to rising wildlife attacks, agrarian distress, unmet promises regarding rubber prices, stalled regional development packages for coastal areas, Idukki, and Wayanad, as well as postponed pension increases.

Regarding the Governor controversy, Satheesan asserted that the Constitution mandates the Governor to deliver the Cabinet-approved address but claimed that the address itself lacked credibility.

He alleged that conflicts between the government and the Governor only emerged during crises and were subsequently resolved quietly, thereby diminishing public trust.