Days after sparking a controversy with his “backward” remark about Kerala, Union Minister George Kurian said on Tuesday (February 4, 2025) that Kerala “survives” only with the assistance of the Centre and that there is “not a single project the State can claim as its own.”
He alleged that the ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF) and the Opposition (United Democratic) UDF are constantly accusing the Union government of neglecting the State as part of their “joint narrative” to hide their own failures.
“Their attempt is to cover up what Prime Minister Narendra Modi is doing, and that is why both the LDF and the UDF are jointly making such a narrative that the Centre was giving nothing to the State,” the Minister of State for Fisheries and Minority Affairs alleged.
While speaking to a Malayalam news channel, Mr. Kurian said it is his duty to “destroy the false narrative that PM Modi is giving nothing to the State.”
“Kerala is surviving only because of the assistance from the Centre. If there has been any development that has happened (in the State) in the last 10 years, it was done by PM Modi. There is not even a single project in Kerala that has not been granted by Modi,” he claimed.
Stating that there is no project that the State claims as its own, Mr. Kurian further said that if the State government has to give salary to its employees, it should get money from the Centre.
Indicating that the Kerala government was giving monthly salaries to its employees after diverting Centrally allocated funds, the Minister said it is money to be used for development, and he “does not think that it (diverting funds) is a good practice.”
The Union Minister claimed that all the Central ministries were “giving whatever amount being asked by the State government” and that his Fisheries department had already granted ₹212 crore to Kerala.
He further charged that the economy of the State and its education and industry sectors has been “destroyed” completely in the last 10 years under the rule of the LDF.
He accused the Students Federation of India (SFI), the student outfit of the CPI(M) of “destroying” the education sector of the State and alleged that the party’s trade union, CITU, was “the one behind the destruction” of Kerala’s industry sector.
He alleged that the Congress and party-led UDF were giving all its support to the Left government to “destroy” the State and put its burden upon the Centre for their survival.
The Congress was supporting the Marxist party out of fear of their clear “wash-out that happened in West Bengal and Tripura years ago”, he said.
When asked by the reports about his controversial “backward” remark, the Minister clarified that he did not insult the State, but only said that if it has any financial difficulties, the Finance Commission should be approached and not the Centre.
He said Kerala has been demanding more tax allocations for some time, and it is the Finance Commission that should be approached for such demands and not the union government.
“If they want something more (funds), their reason should be explained. If it (the reason) is backwardness, it should be made clear. Everybody thinks that the Centre is taking decisions in such matters. In fact, it is the Finance Commission,” Mr. Kurian said.
