Thiruvananthapuram: As the Union Budget came under fire for alleged discrimination against Kerala, the BJP leadership in the state criticised the LDF government for failing to implement projects approved by the NDA government. BJP state president Rajeev Chandrasekhar alleged that the Centre did not approve an AIIMS for Kerala because the LDF government failed to complete land acquisition.

“In 2017, it was said that AIIMS would be allotted either to Madurai in Tamil Nadu or to Kerala. But Kerala failed to complete land acquisition,” he said.

He said the state government should stop alleging neglect and instead answer questions regarding the implementation of projects already sanctioned.

He alleged that over the last 11 budgets, the Centre had announced several projects for Kerala, but none were implemented by the state government.

Citing schemes such as the PM Awas Yojana, Jal Jeevan Mission and Ayushman Bharat, Chandrasekhar said the Left government, which claims Kerala received nothing, should first implement what had already been approved.

“For Kerala to get new projects and achieve development, there should be an NDA government in the state. If a double-engine government comes to power, misgovernance and inefficiency will end, and development activities will take place,” he said.

When reporters pointed out that land for AIIMS had already been acquired and that ‘Metroman’ E Sreedharan was set to open an office for the high-speed rail project on Tuesday, Chandrasekhar said the Budget contained several programmes for youth in manufacturing and agriculture.

“These are all-India schemes, but the state government should have the capacity to implement them,” he said.

He said the Modi government believed in performance rather than slogans.

“Where India was 11 years ago and where it is now is the best example,” he said.

Chandrasekhar also said the BJP was ready to debate with the chief minister on the development carried out in Kerala over the last 10 years.

He argued that the Modi government had lifted India from a weak economy to the world’s fourth-largest economy and that the Budget reflected medium- and long-term strategies.