P Rajeev, P K Kunhalikutty clash in Assembly over Kerala’s industrial achievements

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Industries Minister P. Rajeev and former Industries Minister P.K. Kunhalikutty locked horns in the Kerala Assembly over the state’s industrial progress. Minister Rajeev listed major companies that have invested in Kerala over the past decade and said long-standing issues such as power cuts and load shedding have been largely resolved. He also referred to a recent Economist magazine article titled Left Paradise, which said other states and even countries could learn from Kerala, describing the state as a “development champion.”

Responding to this, opposition MLA and former minister P.K. Kunhalikutty said sarcastically that it was fortunate the minister did not claim Kerala was created just ten years ago when Parashuraman threw his axe. He said industrial growth was not new to the state and pointed out that many of the same foreign companies had signed agreements during his tenure as Industries Minister. He added that the UDF government had opened doors for investments and faced criticism from the opposition at the time, which accused it of wasting public money. Kunhalikutty said the UDF would not raise such questions now and assured that if the front returned to power, it would continue the good initiatives implemented by the present government.

Minister Rajeev countered by asking why several investment proposals signed during the UDF period failed to materialise. Kunhalikutty replied that one of the mega projects announced at the earlier Invest Meet was the Metro project and questioned what major projects the current government had implemented over the past ten years.

Rajeev said the Metro project was initiated during the tenure of former Chief Minister E.K. Nayanar. He recalled that when there was an attempt to hand over the Metro to a Singapore-based company, strong public protests in Kerala led to the project being entrusted to the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC). He alleged that internal conflicts during the UDF government had stalled development. Rajeev also pointed out that while some parties opposed the K-Rail project when the LDF proposed it, they are now welcoming the BJP’s high-speed rail plans, adding that the people of Kerala understand these contradictions.