Speaking on ETV politics discussion show "Esimene stuudio", where he went head-to-head with Reform Party MP and former prime minister Taavi Rõivas, Põlluaas was responding to a charge laid by Rõivas that the coalition government of Center, the Conservative People's Party of Estonia (EKRE) and Isamaa, had failed to make any substantive progress.

"If I take your promises from the elections and see what the real actions are, then I only see postponements, a budget defecit; I see a lot of things that have been left out. /.../ half of the reduction in the excise duty on alcohol was achieved," Rõivas said on the show.

Rõivas also noted that the opposition's task is to identify and highlight mistakes made by the coalition.

"Of course, the work of the opposition is much more inconvenient in the sense that we have to talk about what is wrong. Who would want to be a critic? I am absolutely certain that the Reform Party as a governmental party is much stronger than in opposition. However, we can also handle being in opposition. Unfortunately, it really is the case that the current government is helping us very much in this," he said.

"I hope that this working atmosphere, as you understand it, will anyway end at some point, then we can really start to take Estonia forward," Rõivas said in response.

Isamaa was previously in coalition with Reform, and SDE, doing a deal with Center in November 2016 which saw Reform and Taavi Rõivas switched out and Jüri Ratas becoming prime minister.

Following the March 2019 general election, Isamaa inked a deal with Center and EKRE, leaving SDE now in opposition, with Reform.

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