BJP state president Rajeev Chandrasekhar has strongly criticised the Pinarayi Vijayan-led government, holding it responsible for making Kerala the state with the highest inflation rate in the country. He said the state has topped the national inflation list for the eighth consecutive month, a clear reflection of economic mismanagement.
According to data released by the Union Ministry of Statistics, Kerala recorded an inflation rate of 9.4 percent in August, at a time when the national average dropped to 2.07 percent. “The people of Kerala are suffering the consequences of unchecked inflation while the rest of the country benefits from a declining trend,” Chandrasekhar said in a statement.
He contrasted the situation in Kerala with that of the national economy, where the Narendra Modi government has managed to keep inflation below the 4 percent benchmark set by the Reserve Bank of India. “At the national level, the Centre has ensured stability and economic growth, but inflation in Kerala is spiralling out of control with each passing month. This is proof of the incompetence of the state government,” he remarked.
Chandrasekhar further pointed out that Congress-ruled Karnataka follows Kerala in terms of inflation levels, while BJP-ruled states are recording the lowest. Uttar Pradesh has the lowest inflation rate in the country at 0.26 percent, followed by Rajasthan at 0.99 percent and Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat at 1.24 percent each.
Highlighting the achievements of the Centre, Chandrasekhar said the Modi government’s “far-sighted and agile policies” have brought down the country’s inflation rate to the lowest in the past eight years. “While the Union government is taking the economy to greater heights by keeping prices under control, the Kerala Chief Minister and his government are dismantling the state’s economic health,” he added.
He also accused the Kerala government of indirectly imposing a “hidden tax burden” on people. While more than 175 items have seen price reductions nationwide through the reform of the Goods and Services Tax (GST), Chandrasekhar said the people of Kerala have not been able to enjoy these benefits due to the inefficiency of the state government.
He said that the much-acclaimed education and healthcare models of Kerala are collapsing under the weight of rising unemployment, inflation and economic crisis. “Despite Kerala’s worsening financial condition, the Chief Minister remains silent. The government has failed to intervene in the market to regulate prices or take steps to provide relief to the people,” he said.
Chandrasekhar further argued that both the Left and the Congress-led Fronts, who have alternately ruled Kerala for seven decades, are equally responsible for reducing Kerala into a consumer state dependent on borrowing and daily expenditure without producing adequately. “This cycle of misrule has pushed the state into its current plight. Change can only come if both these fronts are removed from power,” he declared.
