After 'Chetta', Pinarayi's new low, calls Telangana CM 'dash mone Revantha'

Kannur: Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Tuesday took the ongoing slugfest between him and his Telangana counterpart A Revanth Reddy to a new low, and in tune with his recent penchant for abuses, called him ‘Dash mone..’.

The abuse comes amidst the ongoing clash between the two leaders, triggered by the visiting Telangana CM's attack on Vijayan as part of the assembly election campaign.

“Dash mone Revantha, the reply for you is coming soon,” the CM said at a press conference in Kannur, responding to questions from the media on the allegations raised by Reddy.

On April 2, Pinarayi Vijayan strongly criticised Reddy over his remarks against the Left government during a campaign visit to the state. In a Facebook post, Pinarayi Vijayan described the Telangana CM as ‘misinformed’ and accused him of ‘ridiculing’ Kerala and its people while ignoring shortcomings in his own state.

Reddy responded to this with a six-page letter on Monday, accusing Pinarayi of relying on ‘outdated data’, selective citations and omissions, while claiming that Telangana’s governance model was delivering ‘faster’ results. He also invited Vijayan for a direct, fact-based discussion in Thiruvananthapuram. He signed off the letter by repeating his “Nee Po, Mone Vijayan!” dialogue.

During the press meet on Tuesday, Vijayan questioned whether Reddy's stance suited the Chief Minister of a state. “But since he has made the allegations in public, I will also respond publicly,” he said before making the remark.

“I'm not going into the response now as I would have to speak on it elaborately,” he added, stating that he would offer a detailed explanation on the matter at a later date.

This is not the first time that Pinarayi Vijayan has come under scrutiny for calling names. He had described dissident CPM leader G Sudhakaran's decision to contest from Ambalappuzha with UDF support as ‘rashtriya chettatharam’ (politically despicable act). The CM said that he had no other word to describe the move. However, Sudhakaran said he takes pride in being called ‘despicable’ (chetta), clarifying that the term ‘chetta’ refers to huts (Known as ‘chettakudil’ in Malayalam) associated with the poor and working class. He argued that using the word as an insult amounts to demeaning these sections of society. Recalling his early life, Sudhakaran said he lived in a thatched hut until the age of 18 and spent his childhood in modest circumstances.

Following the incident, Opposition Leader V D Satheesan recalled an earlier instance in which the Chief Minister used a derogatory term against former colleague N K Premachandran. “Now, from the Chief Minister's chair, the words 'utterly despicable' have been used again,” he said.