COVID-19 Crisis: ‘Kerala and TN are Brothers, Won’t Close Border’

Kerala, Tamil Nadu rubbish rumours of closing borders, say, “May this friendship and brotherhood grow forever”

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan (L);  by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami (R) 

(Phoro altered by The Quint/ Courtesy TNM and PTI)

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has rubbished reports that stated that Kerala has closed its borders with Tamil Nadu. Vijayan made it clear that the people of Tamil Nadu were not just neighbours, but considered brothers to the state.

“Some fake news says that Kerala has closed border roads with Tamil Nadu with mud embankments as the number of COVID-19 cases in Tamil Nadu increased. We haven’t even thought about such a thing. Tamil Nadu people are not just our neighbours. They are our brothers.”

Pinarayi Vijayan, Kerala Chief Minister 

The Kerala chief minister’s heart-warming gesture was returned by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami, who responded saying ‘may this friendship and brotherhood grow forever’.

The tweet reads, “We are very happy that Kerala considers the people of Tamil Nadu as brothers and sisters. We want to assure them that in happiness and in sorrow, Tamil Nadu will be there for Kerala. May this friendship and brotherhood grow forever.”

Vijayan then took to Twitter to respond once more, “The relationship between Kerala and Tamil Nadu is bonded in love, brotherhood, history, language and culture. People who make fake news can’t fathom the depth of the relationship between the two States. Together we will overcome the challenges.”

This exchange between the leaders of Tamil Nadu and Kerala comes at a time when the Karnataka government has blocked roads connecting Kerala’s northernmost Kasargod district with the nearby Mangaluru city in Karnataka.

The Supreme Court on Friday, 3 April, directed the Union Health Secretary to meet with the chief secretaries of Kerala and Karnataka and decide how to facilitate the movement of people for medical treatment from Kasargod in Kerala amid the ongoing lockdown following the coronavirus outbreak.

Kasargod in Kerala has emerged as one of the COVID-19 hotspots in the country, with at least 114 COVID-19 cases recorded in the area. Kerala has recorded 295 COVID-19 cases and Tamil Nadu has the second highest number of cases in India, after Maharashtra, at 411.