Pinarayi Vijayan Slams Kerala CM's Remarks on Missing Fishers

Kerala's Leader of the Opposition, Pinarayi Vijayan, has criticized Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan's comments concerning fishers who went missing at sea during recent rainstorms. Vijayan stated that the Chief Minister's remarks, including the assertion that "it was not the first time fishers went missing at sea," were "callous" and added to the distress of the coastal community, who he said were already suffering from a lack of government support during the storms.

During a press conference on Wednesday, August 12, 2026, Vijayan alleged that Satheesan attempted to deflect criticism of the government's disaster response by drawing comparisons to the number of fishers lost during the previous Left Democratic Front (LDF) administration. Vijayan pointed out that fewer than 10 seafarers went missing under the current government's tenure, compared to 148 during the LDF's term.

Vijayan characterized the Chief Minister's comparison of death figures as a "brazen lack of humaneness" and stated that such remarks were unbecoming of a leader whose role should be to unify the state during a crisis. He further accused the Chief Minister of having a "dismissive attitude" toward the plight of the fishers, which he said has generated bitterness within the coastal community.

The opposition leader also challenged the Chief Minister's claim that the deployment of helicopters, military aircraft, and drones for marine search and rescue by the UDF government was a first for Kerala, calling it a "brazen lie" and an insult to the community's intelligence. Vijayan suggested that the government's perceived "ineptitude" and delayed response cost valuable time that could have been used for effective rescue operations, potentially saving lives. He also noted that relief camps lacked essential supplies and that coordination between government agencies and local volunteers was absent.