Pinarayi Vijayan Will Continue as Kerala CM; Left Government Took Gandhi’s Vision Forward in Kerala: Mani Shankar Aiyar

Thiruvananthapuram: Former Union Minister and senior Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar on Sunday expressed confidence that Pinarayi Vijayan will continue as the next Chief Minister of Kerala.

He was speaking after inaugurating the international seminar “Vision 2031: Development and Democracy.” In his address, Aiyar noted that necessary amendments are being proposed to legally safeguard Kerala’s leading position in implementing the Panchayati Raj system, in the presence of the Chief Minister.

Recalling Mahatma Gandhi’s vision for India, Aiyar said Gandhiji had dreamt of a nation where even the poorest citizens would feel a sense of ownership and actively participate in nation-building. He observed that, somewhat intriguingly, some of the most commendable progress toward this ideal has been achieved in Kerala — a state governed by a Left party.

Aiyar highlighted Kerala’s achievements in decentralised governance, describing the state as the country’s practical leader in grassroots democracy. He credited decades of political commitment to local self-government for empowering communities and improving social outcomes, while noting that Kerala’s performance has often surpassed national expectations set during the tenure of former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi.

Full Transcript of Mani Shankar Aiyar's Speech

Responding to a question in 1931 on his dream for India, Mahatma Gandhi had said: “I shall work for an India in which even the poorest shall feel that it is their country, in whose making they have an effective voice.” It is intriguing, the speaker said, that Kerala, governed by a Marxist party, is the only State in India that has made real progress toward this declared Gandhian goal. Whether this should be seen as praise or irony, he added, he was unsure. However, he expressed regret that his colleagues from Congress were absent, despite the occasion being a State government function of national importance.

Given the time constraint, he said he would move directly to the core issue. Kerala ranks first in the country in the practice of three-tier Panchayati Raj governance, he noted. The ideas of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, who is no longer with us, have been implemented more effectively in Kerala than in any other State. However, while Kerala stands first in implementation, it is only second in terms of legislation, he pointed out.

Recalling his previous visit to Kerala, he said he had made a specific request then. Based on the Ramesh Kumar Committee Report, Karnataka had enacted a highly progressive and modern Panchayati Raj law, incorporating all 38 amendments he had proposed as a member of the committee. He added that V.K. Ramachandran, widely regarded as a pioneer of Panchayati Raj and present at the event today, is the real “guru” in this field—offering an apology to Thomas Isaac, but asserting Ramachandran’s primacy in this domain. The then Minister for Local Self-Government in Kerala had accepted these suggestions, and experts from both Karnataka and Kerala had participated in the committee, as he had recommended.

Expressing confidence that Pinarayi Vijayan would be Kerala’s next Chief Minister, Mani Shankar Aiyar reiterated his appeal in the Chief Minister’s presence. To firmly secure Kerala’s number one position in Panchayati Raj, he urged the State to bring in legislative amendments based on Kerala’s own experiences, Thomas Isaac’s insights, and the five-volume report he had chaired. Above all, he said, due consideration should be given to V.K. Ramachandran’s note on district planning, prepared during a time when the Planning Commission truly believed in Panchayati Raj.

Today, he lamented, very few voices remain in the country to champion Panchayati Raj. Therefore, he made a direct appeal to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan: “Sir, please take up the mission that the Congress has abandoned.”

Concluding his address, he said: “Thank you, and may Kerala prosper.”