LDF's 10-year rule in Kerala will be lost decade: BJP state chief

Thiruvananthapuram | BJP state president Rajeev Chandrasekhar has claimed that the 10-year rule of Kerala's Left Democratic Front (LDF) would be remembered as a "lost decade", as the state government gears up to launch its over a month-long fourth anniversary celebrations from Monday.

In a Facebook post on Sunday, the former union minister described the Pinarayi Vijayan government's track record—now in its 10th year in power—as "abysmal".

He alleged that the Left government was "bankrupt", surviving "solely on borrowings", and therefore unable to pay pensions or even the wages of Accredited Social Health Activist (ASHA) workers.

"There are no new investments, no money for infrastructure development, and whatever development Kerala sees today is driven entirely by the Modi government," he claimed.

Further, he alleged, "Instead of addressing this collapse, he (Vijayan) peddles imaginary narratives about the Sangh Parivar and communalism, but the people of Kerala are ready to give him a resounding reply. Kerala's lost decade." The Congress-led UDF has already announced it will boycott the state government's celebrations, alleging that the Left administration has "failed on all fronts", pushed the state into a "debt trap", and has "no moral right" to celebrate its anniversary.

The UDF has also accused the LDF of "totally ignoring" weaker sections, including ASHA and Anganwadi workers, while indulging in "extravagance" throughout its four-year rule of its second term.

It further alleged that as part of the anniversary celebrations, the government was spending Rs 15 crore on hoardings featuring only the chief minister, even as the basic demands of workers across sectors remained unmet.

While the opposition will boycott the government's anniversary programmes, UDF's local body representatives will attend events related to development works they were involved.

The second LDF government led by Pinarayi Vijayan is set to celebrate its fourth anniversary from April 21 to May 23, with district- and state-level events.