Kerala BJP President Rajeev Chandrasekhar on Saturday launched a strong attack on the Left Democratic Front (LDF) government, accusing it of mismanaging the State’s economy and failing to translate massive borrowings into tangible development. He asserted that only the development model followed by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led NDA government at the Centre could revive Kerala’s faltering economic situation.

Addressing a press conference in Thiruvananthapuram, Chandrasekhar said borrowing in itself was not a problem, but questioned how the funds raised by the State government had been utilised. He contrasted Kerala’s financial management with BJP-ruled states, claiming that NDA governments invest borrowed funds in productive infrastructure, while Kerala lacked transparency on the use of its loans.

While acknowledging that not every decision of the LDF government was flawed, Chandrasekhar alleged that the overall economic governance had failed due to the absence of a coherent long-term vision. He claimed that the State’s investment promotion strategy had “failed miserably” and called for a complete restructuring of economic policy along the lines of the Centre’s approach over the past decade.

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The BJP leader highlighted that Central funding to Kerala had increased by nearly 450 per cent, including a significant rise in tax devolution. Despite this, he pointed out, Kerala’s accumulated debt had risen sharply to ₹4,88,910 crore in 2025–26. He further claimed that nearly 92 per cent of the State’s expenditure was now consumed by loan repayments and salaries, leaving minimal fiscal space for development projects.

Chandrasekhar linked the financial stress to rising unemployment and inflation, alleging that a decade of LDF rule had failed to revive the economy. He also accused the CPI(M) and the Congress of having a tacit understanding and routinely blaming the Centre for the State’s shortcomings. Criticising the latest State budget, he said it neglected the elderly, undermined housing schemes such as PMAY, failed to provide health insurance for the poor, and ignored critical issues including water scarcity, rubber price support, institutional decay in KSRTC, irregularities in MGNREGA funds, and safety concerns in government schools.

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