The CPI (M) today targeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his Somalia remark where he compared Kerala to the African country. The left said the southern state fared way better than the African nation in terms of human development index (HDI).

"Somalia's HDI is 0.285 (ranking: 229), Kerala's is 0.712. India's ONLY high HDI state, it'd rank 104 globally. So much for the comparison," CPI (M) General Secretary Sitaram Yechury said on Twitter, without naming the Prime Minister.

According to media reports, Modi had compared the infant mortality rate in Kerala with Somalia while addressing a poll rally in the state on Sunday. He said that unemployment rate in Kerala was thrice as high as the national average and the infant mortality rate among Scheduled Tribe community from the state was worse than Somalia.

CPI (M) member Pinarayi Vijayan also criticized Modi’s statement and said that Modi’s remark was rooted in vengefulness.

“Modi should understand that people of Kerala will never allow the state to become like Gujarat, which is why the BJP never wins here. It is because of this anger and vengefulness that the BJP is not able to lay its foundations in Kerala. That is why Modi compared Kerala to Somalia,” he said.

(Inputs PTI)