Kerala economy mismanaged, only NDA model can revive state: Rajeev Chandrasekhar
Thiruvananthapuram: BJP president in Kerala, Rajeev Chandrasekhar, on Saturday launched a sharp attack on the LDF government, accusing it of economic mismanagement, lack of vision, and failure to utilise borrowed funds for real development.
He also said that only the development model pursued by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led NDA government can revive Kerala’s economy.
Addressing a press meet here, Chandrasekhar said there was nothing inherently wrong with taking loans, but stressed that the critical issue was how those funds were utilised.
“In states ruled by the BJP-led NDA, loans are taken and invested in productive infrastructure. In Kerala, nobody knows where the money has gone,” he said.
While clarifying that not every decision of the Left government was wrong, the BJP leader said the overall economic governance had failed. “They promised that everything would be set right. Instead, the economy has been mismanaged,” he alleged, adding that the State lacked any coherent economic strategy.
Chandrasekhar said the LDF government’s much-touted investment promotion strategy had “flopped miserably” and called for a complete overhaul, modelled on the Centre’s approach over the past decade.
He pointed out that Central funding to Kerala had increased by nearly 450 per cent, with a significant surge in tax devolution. “Rs 22 lakh crore has been given to the State, yet Kerala’s accumulated debt has touched Rs 4,88,910 crore in 2025-26,” he said.
According to him, nearly 92 per cent of the State’s expenditure now goes towards loan repayment and salaries, leaving little room for development spending. He linked this to Kerala leading in unemployment and inflation, and said the decade-long LDF administration had failed to revive the economy.
The BJP leader alleged a “tacit understanding” between the CPI(M) and the Congress, accusing both of routinely blaming the Centre for the State’s failures.
He said the latest budget betrayed the elderly, sabotaged housing schemes such as PMAY, failed to implement health insurance for the poor, and ignored issues like water scarcity and rubber support prices.
Chandrasekhar also flagged “institutional decay” in KSRTC, alleged large-scale irregularities in MGNREGA funds, and questioned the State’s handling of school safety after the Education Minister V. Sivankutty admitted in the Assembly that 75 per cent of government schools were unsafe.
“Are they giving insurance for students for this?” he asked.