Kerala: Cong calls 'poverty-free' claim statistical fraud; BJP terms it a 'ponzi scheme economy'

Thiruvananthapuram, Oct 31 (IANS) Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan's pre-election welfare announcements and the state government's declaration of being "free of extreme poverty" have triggered sharp criticism from both the Congress-led UDF and the BJP, which accused the ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF) of misleading the public with "fabricated claims" and "election-time theatrics".

Leader of the Opposition V.D. Satheesan on Friday alleged that the LDF government was "building castles with false statistics" to project a rosy picture ahead of the 2025 local body elections.

"Eradicating extreme poverty is a noble goal, but what the government is doing now is statistical deceit. It’s a fraud on the people," said Satheesan.

He pointed out that the LDF’s 2021 election manifesto had identified 4.5 lakh families in Kerala as extremely poor, yet the government’s latest list includes only 64,000 families.

“What happened to the remaining families? What sleight of hand reduced the number so drastically?” he asked, adding that the new list was prepared without consultation with the State Planning Board or statistical departments.

Satheesan accused the government of exploiting the poor for political gain.

“The poor were ignored for four and a half years, and now they are being used for propaganda. This is pure election drama,” he said, urging artists and celebrities to stay away from the government’s “poverty-free Kerala” event.

Echoing similar sentiments, Kerala BJP president Rajeev Chandrasekhar launched a blistering attack on Chief Minister Vijayan, questioning how the government plans to fulfill its promises when the state is “burdened with Rs 6 lakh crore in debt".

“After nine and a half years in office, he suddenly remembers the poor, announcing ‘new’ schemes that were already listed in the 2021 CPI(M) manifesto but never implemented,” Chandrasekhar said in a social media post, contrasting Vijayan’s governance with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “track record of delivery from Day 1 to Year 11".

He alleged that Kerala’s economy was being run like a "Ponzi scheme", with funds diverted from pensions, health, and housing projects to cover interest payments.

“Drama, PR, and corruption don’t build prosperity -- they only fool people,” Chandrasekhar said.

A special session of the Kerala Assembly has been called on Saturday to mark the “poverty-free” declaration. Satheesan said the UDF parliamentary panel will meet to decide its course of action on the matter.

In the evening, Chief Minister Vijayan will hold a public function to officially announce the declaration, where film icons Mammootty, Mohanlal, and Kamal Haasan are expected to share the stage with him.

--IANS

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