Voices of 2024: Kerala’s most influential and controversial statements

The year 2024 saw Kerala’s socio-political and cultural landscape enriched with powerful and thought-provoking statements. These words, spoken by prominent personalities, sparked debates, inspired reflections, and captured the spirit of the times. Here are five impactful quotes that defined the year, presented in the order they resonated:

Controversy erupted after an interview of Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan was published on September 30 by The Hindu. In the interview, Vijayan was quoted as saying: "150 kg of gold and hawala money worth Rs 123 crore were seized by the state police in the last five years from Malappuram district. This money is entering Kerala for anti-state and anti-national activities."

Later, the Chief Minister’s Office issued a press note claiming that the remarks made in the interview did not reflect the CM’s views or the state government's stance. In a subsequent move, The Hindu issued a correction stating that PR agency Kaizzen had approached the newspaper offering an interview with the Chief Minister. During the interview, two representatives from the PR agency were present alongside Vijayan at Kerala House in New Delhi. After the interview, one of the PR representatives requested the inclusion of specific details about gold smuggling and hawala transactions in Malappuram—statements that the CM later disowned.

"I have had so many failures in my life, got two hundred and then two ducks. I kept on believing in myself, kept on working hard and it came off today. After a couple of failures, there were a lot of things going on in my head. Abhishek helped me out early on and then Tilak as well."

Samson, who scored an unbeaten 109 runs from 56 balls, smashed 6 fours and 9 sixes at a strike rate of 194.64. Speaking during the innings break in Johannesburg, Samson praised his teammates Abhishek Sharma and Tilak Varma, noting how their support played a significant role in his stellar performance.

These statements highlight the diverse issues and discussions that shaped Kerala's socio-political and cultural landscape in 2024.