Union Minister Suresh Gopi mocked Kerala’s Education Minister V. Sivankutty during his Kalunk Sabha, saying, “Let a well-educated education minister come.”
Sivankutty hit back on social media, calling Gopi “Kalunk Thampuran” (Lord of the Culvert) and accusing him of contributing “not even the worth of a pin” to the state.
The spat highlighted Gopi’s “Kalunk Sabha” outreach style, where he holds meetings on village culverts—now sarcastically dubbed “Kalunkism” by his critics.
A political war of words erupted in Kerala after Union Minister Suresh Gopi took a swipe at State General Education Minister V Sivankutty during his “Kalunk Sabha” outreach programme in Vattavada, Idukki, on Thursday.
Responding to local demands for an English-medium school, Gopi remarked, “Let a well-educated education minister come.” Without naming Sivankutty, he suggested that the current minister, known for his frequent criticism of him, was unlikely to deliver such facilities.
The comment quickly drew a response from Sivankutty, who fired back on social media, referring to Gopi as “Kalunk Thampuran”—a phrase meaning “Lord of the Culvert.” Mocking the Union minister’s initiative, he said the state had not benefited even “the worth of a pin” from him.
Sivankutty further ridiculed Gopi’s Kalunk Sabha series, claiming “Kalunkism” was his true ideology. The term “Kalunk” in Malayalam means culvert—a nod to Gopi’s unique practice of conducting meetings seated on culverts across villages.
