'Nokku Kooli': Nirmala Sitharaman's statements are factually incorrect, says Minister P Rajeev

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Industries Minister P. Rajeev has strongly criticized Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman's remarks about 'nokku kooli' in Kerala, made during her speech in the Rajya Sabha yesterday.

Rajeev asserted that the Finance Minister's statements were factually inaccurate and warned that such claims could damage her credibility. "The BJP's anti-communist rhetoric is turning into an anti-Kerala stance. While there were issues related to 'nokku kooli' in the past, these practices have now ended. The Finance Minister’s criticism appears to be a narrow political response," Rajeev remarked.

Nirmala Sitharaman had targeted Kerala during her speech, claiming that the state was suffering due to the wrong industrial policies of the CPM government. She explained that in Kerala, in addition to the legitimate fees for unloading luggage from buses, an additional amount—referred to as 'nokku kooli'—was demanded. She added that a person, often a CPI (M) cardholder, would receive an extra Rs 50 simply for watching others unload luggage, a practice she described as a symptom of destructive communism that had harmed Kerala's industrial sector.

When the Left members opposed the minister's statement, Nirmala Sitharaman revealed that "Recently, Kerala CM gave an interview in which he says there's no 'Nokku Kooli' nowadays, which means it existed before." She said that they should not try to correct her statement and that she is a person from that region. Nirmala Sitharaman attacked Kerala after criticizing the bad situation in West Bengal and Tripura, which were ruled by the CPM.