Taking a dig at Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath for his remarks on Kerala's healthcare system during BJP’s ‘Janraksha Yatra’, Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan on Wednesday thanked Yogi Adityanath for letting people know that Kerala's IMR is far better than Uttar Pradesh's IMR. He also mentioned that it is not only better than UP but also many developed countries. Pinarayi Vijayan in a series of tweets said that he was really amused to see Yogi Adityanath finding time and interest in Kerala, despite various problems in his own state of Uttar Pradesh. "It really amuses me that you found time for Kerala, despite the fact a large number of problems exists in UP (as per newspaper reports)," he tweeted. Considering Yogi Adityanath's this trip to Kerala as a break, he hoped that it would help him rejuvenate for facing various issues in UP. Responding to Yogi's statement on Love Jihad and that the Left Party is promoting it, Vijayan said that the UP Chief Minister should stick to facts and not speak on the basis of false information provided by the BJP leaders in the state. He also cleared on the fact that the Kerala Police have registered a case against the state leaders for posting fake videos on social media. CM Vijayan also took a jibe at Yogi Adityanath over the Taj Mahal controversy and said that the entire state is upset about removing Taj Mahal from the list of the tourist map. He further questioned UP government's reasoning to leave the monument from the tourism booklet. Earlier, Kerala Finance Minister Thomas Isaac also hit out at Yogi Aditynath and said Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister and the BJP workers did not seem to know anything about Kerala’s culture or achievements. He claimed that as per the rural health statistics of 2015, in 15 years, when the population increased by 25 per cent, primary health centers decreased by eight per cent and that the state stands second in maternal mortality. Intensifying its attack against the Pinarayi Vijayan-led government, Yogi Adityanath on the second day of the ‘Janraksha Yatra’ rally said, “More than 20 murdered in CM’s district, it proves that the killers are being given protection.” Hitting back at BJP and RSS, CPM general secretary Sitaram Yechury said the cycle of violence was started by the BJP the day assembly election results were announced in Kerala last year.
