Pinarayi Vijayan Targets Kerala Media for ‘Curry-Favouring’ US Imperialism

Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Tuesday launched a sharp attack on the United States, sections of the Indian media, and the Union government, accusing them of normalising what he described as American imperialist aggression, particularly in Venezuela. Speaking at a press conference in Thiruvananthapuram, Vijayan also criticised Malayala Manorama for what he termed a “deliberate attempt to discredit” Kerala’s flagship extreme poverty eradication programme.

Referring to recent developments in Venezuela, Vijayan said “American imperialism is once again visible in its most naked form.” What is happening in Venezuela today, he warned, could happen anywhere in the world tomorrow. Drawing a parallel with India’s diplomatic response following the terrorist attack in Pahalgam, the chief minister said that when India faced an external threat, it sought international solidarity by sending representatives to other countries. “That kind of solidarity is what Venezuela needs today,” he said.

Vijayan accused the Union government of adopting a conspicuously soft stance towards the United States. “The official press releases of the central government do not even name the country responsible for the capture of Venezuela,” he said, adding that the Congress too has largely remained silent on the issue. He pointed to former US president Donald Trump’s threats of increased tariffs and alleged that Congress governments, including in Telangana, were attempting to curry favour by naming a road after him.

The chief minister went further, invoking historical allegations that US intelligence agencies had interfered in Indian politics. He claimed that the CIA had funded the Liberation Struggle(Vimochana Samaram) agitation in Kerala and alleged that sections of the mainstream media had received American funding in the past. “The same media houses are now shaping public opinion in Kerala,” Vijayan said, accusing them of normalising what he described as the US attempt to abduct Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro and his wife.