Thiruvananthapuram | Kerala BJP president Rajeev Chandrasekhar on Sunday said several aspects of the state's political discourse appeared “strange” to him during his first Assembly session, alleging that political parties were creating “unnecessary controversies” instead of focusing on issues affecting the public.
In a Facebook post, Chandrasekhar, a former Union minister and three-time MP, said he entered the Kerala Assembly for the first time as an MLA on June 1 after spending 18 years in Parliament.
“I thought I had seen almost everything in politics and parliamentary functioning during my 18 years in Parliament. But now I realise I had seen nothing,” the Nemom MLA remarked sarcastically.
The BJP leader said the recent Assembly session was notable for several reasons, but what stood out to him was what he described as a “political culture disconnected from the real concerns of society.”
“The strangest thing for me was the politics of some people. It is a strange kind of politics that has no connection with the real issues facing society,” he said.
Chandrasekhar said the country was living in an era of rapid technological transformation, with artificial intelligence opening up new opportunities for young people while businesses face emerging global challenges.
However, he alleged that sections of the political leadership were preoccupied with ideological debates and political controversies rather than discussions on development, investment and employment generation.
Referring to the debate over the state's economic white paper, Chandrasekhar criticised CPI(M) leaders for opposing it and alleged that political rivals were more interested in blaming one another for the BJP's electoral success than addressing public concerns.
He claimed that despite rising prices, a lack of fresh investments and concerns over employment opportunities, “none of the real issues affecting people are becoming subjects of discussion”.
“The economy of Kerala has collapsed not because of anything else, but because of the disastrous politics of the Congress and the CPI(M),” he alleged.
Describing the situation as “painful, pathetic and completely irresponsible”, Chandrasekhar said the BJP’s objective was to bring about a change in the state’s political culture.
“Our goal is to replace this culture of trivial political debates and manufactured controversies with a politics of performance,” he said.
Chandrasekhar also said the party would continue to advocate its vision of a “developed Kerala” and raise development-oriented issues in the Assembly.
