Pinarayi Vijayan's promise: God's Own Country

Vayalar (Alappuzha): Sixty years after it elected the first Communist government in the world, Kerala is entering a new era on Wednesday with its new Communist chief minister-to-be, promising to make the state live up to the tagline, ‘Gods Own Country’. Listing issues that plague the state, including lack of development and women’s safety, CPM politburo member Pinarayi Vijayan on Tuesday said the LDF government would ensure inclusive development so that Kerala became “truly God’s Own Country.”

After paying homage to martyrs of the historic Punnapra-Vayalar struggle, Mr Vijayan said law and order were in a shambles in the state. “Criminals of all kinds be warned that they will get no protection, and the officials who fail in their job to keep law and order will have to face the music,” Mr Vijayan, who is expected to handle the home portfolio, said. Women’s safety would be on top of government’s agenda, he said and referring to the murder of law student Jisha in Perumbavur, he added: “there will not be another Jisha.”  

A known taskmaster, Mr Vijayan said the state was in dire need of speeding up development works to provide employment opportunities for the young people. In an obvious reference to the groups which had held up various projects such as GAIL pipeline and national highway development, Mr Vijayan said the state could not afford to go back on its developmental projects.

“There are many people out there in many names obstructing development, and we all know them,” he said. “They feel that might is right. The government will not succumb to them, and they will have to pay for it.”   The government would be keen to protect the environment and the state’s water resources, he said.

“We cannot allow our water bodies to become waste dumps, and would launch programmes to keep them clean so that people get quality water”. All the 15 ministers, belonging to CPM and the CPI, participated in the function.