Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has issued a word of caution to the media, and said it should introspect on whether it is hurting the state. This came in response to reports that Japanese automaker Nissan had written a letter expressing disappointment with the state government for not keeping the promises it made while convincing it to set up a research facility in Thiruvananthapuram.

Vijayan acknowledged the letter from Nissan in a television interview and said his government was scrambling to address the company's concerns. "On receiving the letter, the government had immediately called for a meeting with the company and their issues were discussed. The government had assured them that they will take the necessary steps to solve their problems, which the company were happy about," Vijayan claimed, according to a report in The News Minute.

Vijayan said state Industries and Commerce Director K Biju had been designated as the government point person to ensure effective communication with the Nissan management. 

Vijayan also said the government had sought meetings with all airline operators to request increased connectivity with Kerala. Nissan had reportedly expressed unhappiness with the low level of international connectivity with Kerala. He added that the Kerala government had also taken up the matter with the Central Ministry of Civil Aviation.

Nissan's letter of discontent with the Kerala government had been reported by Times of India last week. The letter posed a perception problem for the Left Democratic Front government considering improvements to the ease of doing business was a prominent part of the poll plank on which it had been elected.

Nissan had signed an agreement with the Kerala government in June 2018 to set up its first global research hub. It had chosen Thiruvananthapuram over automotive hub Chennai based on the promises made by the LDF government at the time.

Nissan said it had faced a number of problems, including over the allotment of land for the research hub, and had been forced to temporarily base its facility in another building. It had also expressed displeasure over being asked to pay registration fees over the temporary space, reports said.