As Keralam polls near, BJP released its manifesto with welfare promises. Political attacks intensify, with Rahul Gandhi alleging a BJP-LDF collusion. Congress flags rubber farmers’ plight, who themselves express deep distress over falling prices.
With the Keralam Assembly polls less than 2 weeks away, political leaders upped the ante with their attacks on Tuesday, alleging collusion between rivals and accusing each other of ignoring the state’s issues.
BJP Unveils ‘Viksit Keralam’ Manifesto
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) released its manifesto, outlining a mix of welfare initiatives, infrastructure expansion, and temple-related measures. Unveiled by the BJP leadership in the state, the document has been projected as a long-term roadmap for transforming Kerala’s economy and governance framework.
Speaking on the occasion, State BJP President Rajeev Chandrasekhar described the manifesto as a “ground-up new vision” for the state. “The manifesto is not just about the Devasam board. This is an absolutely ground-up new vision for Keralam. We have been promising change for the last several months, and this manifesto is the change. This is a manifesto that lays out a roadmap for Viksit Keralam. It is built on five foundational pillars of investment and job revolution, improving the quality of life of every Malayali, human safety and resilience, and there are multiple projects. The fourth pillar is governance, and the fifth pillar is human security. So we are focusing on five basic foundational pillars. It is a manifesto that has been in the works for over four and a half months,” he told ANI.
Among the key welfare promises, the NDA pledged a monthly pension of Rs 3,000 for needy women, widows, and senior citizens above 70 years. The manifesto also promises 20,000 litres of free water per month to every household in Keralam. As part of its welfare outreach, the party said poor families would receive two free LPG cylinders annually, one each during Onam and Christmas. It further proposed a “Bhakshya Arogya Suraksha” card for needy women, with a monthly recharge of Rs 2,500 to cover expenses on medicines and groceries.
On the development front, the BJP promised to establish an All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Keralam and develop a high-speed railway network connecting Thiruvananthapuram to Kannur. The manifesto also places emphasis on temple administration and issues related to Sabarimala.
Nabin Touts ‘Modi Guarantee’
Echoing confidence in the party’s electoral prospects, BJP national president Nitin Nabin invoked the “Modi guarantee,” asserting that the party has a track record of delivering on its promises. “Our promises always come with a Modi guarantee. Now, across the entire country, you can see that whenever we have released a manifesto with the Modi guarantee, we have fulfilled it. In Karnataka and Himachal Pradesh, the Congress released manifesto promises, and they haven’t fulfilled them to this day, whereas the BJP has fulfilled what it promised. The development of Kerala was stalled for the past 70 years by the LDF-UDF through match-fixing. The people here are fed up with LDF-UDF, and they want change,” Nabin told ANI.
He further added, “I don’t get into the numbers of seats. The way youth and women are coming out in Kerala, trust in the BJP is visible on every seat. This time, the BJP will establish itself as an alternative in Kerala.”
Congress Alleges BJP-LDF ‘Secret Partnership’
Rahul Gandhi targeted the BJP and LDF while addressing a public rally in Kannur. He alleged a ‘secret partnership’ between the Communist Party of India (Marxist) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), claiming both have abandoned their ideologies to become “corporate parties.”
Addressing a gathering at the Kannur Police Maidan, Rahul Gandhi reiterated his charge that the Congress-led UDF is fighting the combined forces of LDF and BJP in the State. The Congress leader further alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi exerts “control” over Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan through the threat of central investigative agencies. “Narendra Modi controls the Chief Minister of Kerala. The CM knows that the Prime Minister has the key to putting him in jail right now. You will hear Congress attacking Narendra Modi, but you will never hear the Kerala CM attacking Modi, nor will you see Modi attacking the Kerala CM,” he said.
Congress leader KC Venugopal also criticised the Centre for ignoring the plight of rubber farmers, while also repeating allegations of a BJP-LDF alliance. “Both the state and Centre have failed to address issues of rubber farmers and give them the fair price they deserve. Ensuring Rs. 250/kg for rubber is our solemn pledge and we will implement it in the first UDF Cabinet meeting. These two fronts (Centre and State) are working in tandem to fill their own coffers while the people of Kerala wait for a people-first regime that they haven’t seen since Late Oommen Chandy ji’s government,” Venugopal posted on X.
Rubber Farmers Voice ‘Existential’ Crisis
Rubber farmers in Thiruvalla have also voiced deep distress over falling prices, rising costs, and labour shortages, calling the crisis “existential” as political parties trade promises while livelihoods tied to the state’s “white gold” continue to deteriorate.
The crisis is no longer just financial; it is existential. With production costs skyrocketing and a volatile market leaving farmers with a meagre Rs 200 to Rs 213 per kg, the “white gold” that built Keralam’s middle class is losing its lustre. Speaking to ANI on the sidelines of a local plantation, farmers painted a picture of a sector in terminal decline.
The primary culprit? A crushing labour crisis, adding, “We are caught in a pincer movement,” one farmer explained. “On one side, there is an acute lack of tappers. On the other hand, the labour cost is so high that after paying the workers, we are left with nothing. The government promised incentives to bridge this gap, but the money is like a ghost; sometimes it appears, and most times it doesn’t.”
The resentment toward the political class is palpable. When asked about Rahul Gandhi’s recent high-decibel promise to hike prices to Rs 250 per kg (eventually aiming for Rs 300), the response was weary scepticism. “We’ve heard these songs before every election. Once the booths close, the promises evaporate. While the leaders fight over whether Rs 250 is enough, the reality is that Rs 300 per kg is the absolute minimum we need just to survive,” a farmer remarked.
The polling for Keralam Assembly elections will be held in a single phase on April 9, with counting of votes scheduled for May 4. Keralam has traditionally followed an alternating pattern of governance, switching between the Left Democratic Front (LDF) and the United Democratic Front (UDF) every five years since 1982. This trend was broken in 2021 when the LDF, led by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, was re-elected for a second consecutive term. While the LDF and the UDF are frontrunners in the polls, the BJP will attempt to make a mark after its historic win in the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation elections. (ANI)
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)