The discussion on the motion of thanks to the Governor’s Address in the Assembly on Wednesday witnessed the MLAs of the Opposition Left Democratic Front (LDF) repeatedly questioning the lack of criticism of the Union government in the policy address. The MLAs of the ruling United Democratic Front (UDF), on the other hand, reminded the LDF of the massive defeat it suffered in the Assembly elections.T.K. Govindan, who had left the Communist Party of India (Marxist) owing to internal disagreements ahead of the elections and won with the support of the UDF, struck a note of warning to both the LDF and the UDF to be wary of the rise of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). “The BJP has three MLAs for the first time. We don’t know by how much that number will increase in the future. How long will the Congress and the Left continue with this blind opposition to each other? Both the fronts should be careful that the experience of West Bengal is not repeated here,” he said.High-speed rail projectRegarding the Thiruvananthapuram-Kannur high-speed rail project announced by the UDF government, he said that the government should not forget that Kasaragod is also part of Kerala. Reiterating his criticism of the CPI(M) leadership, he said that despite a decent record in development, the LDF government suffered a massive defeat due to the lack of internal democracy. The refusal to listen to grassroots-level workers and the neglect of the issues of the working class led to defeat even in its strongholds.CPI(M) MLA P.A. Mohamed Riyas said that the policy address which failed to even mention the Union government’s continued neglect of Kerala and some of the stands taken by the UDF government after coming to power raise concern whether the UDF will also follow the same policies as the BJP government. He questioned the silence of the government regarding the appointment of the leader of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh’s (RSS) teachers’ union as the Vice-Chancellor in-charge of Mahatma Gandhi University.Congress MLA V.T. Balram said that the massive reduction in its strength in the Assembly should have made the LDF to introspect, although there are no signs of it. “We are happy about the selection of the Leader of the Opposition. We hope that he will be able to continue in that chair forever. However, if the LDF does not change its approach, it will be dangerous for Kerala’s future as threats which did not exist in the past are visible, even inside this Assembly. The LDF should recapture the public support that it lost,” he said.Communist Party of India (CPI) MLA K.Rajan compared the UDF government’s first policy address to the address made under the LDF government early in January, when the then Chief Minister read out parts of the speech critical of the Union government which the Governor had refused to read. “After a decade, the Lok Bhavan is now happy as the government has not included even a line which the Governor will find difficult to read,” he said.Mr. Rajan expressed concern that the proposed insurance scheme of the State government could weaken the public health system, at a time when multinational corporations are eyeing Kerala’s health sector for profits. He said that the UDF government’s high-speed rail project will also require large scale land acquisition contrary to the government’s claims.BJP on ‘gold theft’BJP MLA B.B. Gopakumar questioned the UDF for being silent on the Sabarimala “gold theft” case in the policy address, although it used the case as part of its campaigns. The BJP MLA, who also read out the omitted stanzas of Vande Mataram, claimed that there was nothing communal about the lines.Congress MLA Aryadan Shoukath’s mention of a purported letter from former CPI leader P.C. Joshi expressing support for the British in the early 1940s, led to a minor uproar with CPI(M) MLA K.V. Sumesh demanding that the part be expunged.Speaker Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan, who noticed the empty seats in the officers’ gallery, said the officers should be asked to be present in the House during the discussions. Published - June 03, 2026 08:12 pm IST