THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Opening a new front in her fight with the state government ahead of the Lok Sabha polls, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman alleged on Thursday that the much-touted Kerala Model story was a bit sad, and the state’s performance in six sectors was below the national average.
“The Kerala Model was good once upon a time. However, Kerala’s performance in six sectors was below national average. In health, education, rural development, Kerala’s expenditure is below the national average,” Sitharaman said, inaugurating BJP’s election convention in Thiruvananthapuram.
“The Comptroller and Auditor General in the 2020-2022 report had said that in direct benefit transfer schemes there was no data and coordination in the state. The investors from the state are going to other states like Telangana for investing in projects. According to Reserve Bank of India’s 2023 August study about private investment performance, out of the 547 projects worth Rs 2.66 lakh crore, Kerala received only 0.9%,” she said.
The RBI has categorised Kerala as among the top five fiscally stressed states. “This is not the fault of the people of the state. It is because of poor governance. In six years, Kerala borrowed beyond its budgetary limit. The state has borrowed Rs 4,228 crore.
Somebody who has no income borrows money. It is the people who have to pay back. It has been borrowed without the approval of the assembly. The state’s developmental expenditure is less than 50%. The state had been given what it was entitled to on time by the Modi government,” Sitharaman said.
Electoral bonds were law of the land: Sitharaman Nirmala Sitharaman claimed the electoral bonds were transparent as the account-to-account transaction ensured the money involved “is white and traceable”. “It’s ironic that they (the Opposition) say electoral bonds are a huge scam of the Centre. It was the law of the land before the Supreme Court had given the order. Every party has benefitted from the bonds which were raised.
At least it’s better than what prevailed when suitcase came in, unaccounted wealth poured in,” she said, addressing chartered accountants, as part of the election campaign. Weak governance leads to a weak economy and that is why the BJP looks forward to continuity in office, she said. “We do not want any other government to come and disrupt what has been achieved in the last ten years, hence we say our slogan or statement of faith — Once Again Modi Government (Fir Ek Baar Modi Sarkar),” she said.
