Thiruvananthapuram: The Opposition has voiced strong disagreements with the UDF government’s maiden policy address. Holding his first press conference as the Leader of the Opposition, Pinarayi Vijayan described the address delivered by Governor Rajendra Arlekar—outlining the vision of the newly formed V D Satheesan administration—as a "policy-less declaration".

Vijayan criticised the address for failing to outline any continuity for the development projects initiated across Kerala by the Left Democratic Front (LDF) government over the last 10 years. He pointed out that despite facing severe financial hurdles, the previous administration exited power while successfully leaving a surplus of ₹5,429 crore in the state treasury.

The Leader of the Opposition alleged that the policy speech presented a distorted financial narrative by deliberately concealing this fiscal achievement.

"The address claims it will guide Kerala into a new era, but there is absolutely no roadmap showing how they intend to achieve this. There is zero clarity on the matter," Vijayan remarked.

Further criticising the administration, the veteran leader argued that the policy layout presented in the Assembly fell drastically short of the grand vision promised in the UDF's election manifesto. He stressed that the Satheesan government’s approach to holistic development is fundamentally flawed.

"There was a glaring silence in this address regarding vital sectors such as the employment guarantee scheme, KIIFB and Kudumbashree," Vijayan observed.

However, the Opposition indicated that it would not adopt an overly aggressive stance against the treasury benches just yet. Vijayan noted that their subsequent political responses would depend on the future actions and implementations of the government. He affirmed that if the administration formulates initiatives beneficial to the state, the Opposition will be far from indifferent and will offer its full constructive support.

At the same time, Vijayan made the Opposition’s own stance explicitly clear, concluding that they will firmly and precisely oppose the government on matters where dissent is warranted.