A day after Maharashtra BJP minister Nitesh Rane termed Kerala a "mini-Pakistan", chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan said the remark was "deeply malicious and utterly condemnable".

Vijayan said Rane's comment had bared the approach of the Sangh Parivar towards Kerala. He said the comment by Maharashtra fisheries and port minister Rane was part of a "hate campaign" endorsed by the Sangh Parivar against Kerala, which believes in secularism and communal harmony.

"We strongly denounce this vile attack on Kerala and call upon all democratic and secular forces to unite against the Sangh Parivar’s hateful propaganda," Vijayan wrote on X.

Congress leader K.C. Venugopal demanded a response from Prime Minister Narendra Modi and claimed that Rane's remark was an "orchestrated vile campaign". He compared the comments to former CPM statements on the poll victories of Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra.