Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Tuesday said that his Uttar Pradesh counterpart Adityanath’s comment comparing the two states were inappropriate, PTI reported.

On February 9, Adityanath had said that if voters “make a mistake” in the ongoing Assembly elections, Uttar Pradesh may end up becoming “another Kashmir, Kerala or [West] Bengal”.

While addressing the Kerala Assembly on Tuesday, Vijayan said that Adityanath’s comments seem to be made in political interests and that it was not appropriate for a chief minister to compare two states.

“Kerala is far ahead in various sectors and the growth the state has achieved is unparalleled,” Vijayan said.

He said that leaders in Uttar Pradesh like Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav have often recognised Kerala’s excellence, India Today reported.

Vijayan had responded to Adityanath’s comments earlier this month as well. In a tweet on February 10, Vijayan had said that if Uttar Pradesh turns into Kerala, it would enjoy the best education, health services and social welfare.

“...people won’t be murdered in the name of religion and caste,” Vijayan said in a tweet. “That’s what the people of UP would want.”

Congress leader Sashi Tharoor had said that Uttar Pradesh would be “so lucky” if it gets “the beauty of Kashmir, the culture of West Bengal and Kerala’s education”.