With the upcoming local body elections and the assembly polls in sight, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has completed his Gulf tour, which was seen as an outreach to woo expatriate Malayali voters. During the visit, the CM claimed that the state has surpassed the United States in the fields of healthcare and road development.
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The tour, which began in Bahrain, continued through Oman and Qatar, and concluded in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the UAE. The visit was held as part of the 70th anniversary celebrations of Kerala’s formation, under the banner of Malayalotsavam, an event organised by the Malayalam Mission to bring together the diaspora from the state.
In his speeches, which lasted for more than two hours, the Chief Minister highlighted Kerala’s developmental achievements made possible through political and administrative continuity. Kerala ranks number one in India in areas such as social welfare, education, and business environment, he asserted.
“If the infant mortality rate in the United States is 5.6, Kerala’s rate is only 5. In that aspect, Kerala has gone ahead of America,” he claimed. He added that the state outperformed the US even in its response to the Covid-19 pandemic. “While some of the world’s richest countries were shaken by the pandemic, Kerala had sufficient ICU facilities, hospital beds, and oxygen support in place,” he said.
Referring to a visiting Malayali-American family, the Chief Minister remarked that they had praised Kerala’s roads, saying they were better than those in New York. He pointed out that Kerala stands out globally as a state without extreme poverty. “Kerala offers the most conducive environment for starting industries and ranks number one in ease of doing business,” he added.
Pinarayi also said that Gulf countries are keen to invest in Kerala and that his government aims to raise the standard of living in the state to match that of the middle class in developed nations. “The ultimate goal is to build a Nava Keralam (means new Kerala),” he emphasised.
During his Gulf tour, the Chief Minister also held meetings with leaders and officials of several Gulf nations.
