Sivankutty welcomes Modi to ‘developed Nemom’ ahead of PM's roadshow, seeks clarity on central fund dues

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) has positioned “lack of development” as a key campaign plank in Nemom, promising a transformed constituency if its state president, Rajeev Chandrasekhar, wins the seat in the upcoming Assembly elections. It is in this context that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to hold a roadshow from Killippalam to Karamana on Saturday.

Responding to this, V Sivankutty, the LDF candidate in Nemom and the State’s General Education Minister, took a swipe at the Prime Minister, welcoming him to what he described as an already “developed Nemom.” In an official statement, just a few hours before the PM's roadshow, Sivankutty outlined a series of infrastructure and education projects implemented in the constituency by the state government in recent years, while also raising concerns over pending central funds and policy decisions affecting the State.

He said the Prime Minister’s roadshow would offer an opportunity to directly witness the development achieved in Nemom. Among the projects highlighted were the ₹18-crore Chala ITI, the State-constructed SSK headquarters built after central assistance was denied, and the office of the Deputy Director of Education. He also pointed to the ₹4.8-crore new building of Chala School. Further developments listed included the median beautification, streetlight installation, and development of multiple education centres.

Alongside highlighting these projects, Sivankutty drew attention to what he termed as financial constraints imposed by the Centre. He alleged that Kerala has suffered an annual revenue loss of around ₹50,000 crore due to central policies, amounting to approximately ₹2.5 lakh crore over five years. He also pointed to borrowing restrictions, which he said resulted in an additional loss of nearly ₹1.25 lakh crore. Despite these challenges, he maintained that Kerala has managed its finances efficiently, a claim he said has been acknowledged by institutions such as the CAG and the RBI.

He further criticised delays in the supply of revised NCERT textbooks for Classes 8, 9 and Plus One in Kendriya Vidyalayas, calling it a serious lapse on the part of the Union government, especially when Kerala had ensured the timely distribution of textbooks before the academic year ended.

Stepping up his criticism, Sivankutty accused the Centre of financially straining Kerala’s public education sector by withholding funds under the Right to Education (RTE) provisions. For 2023–24 and 2024–25, he said, the State had sought ₹266.52 crore as the Centre’s share for expenses including free textbooks, uniforms and support for differently-abled students, but only ₹6.86 crore had been sanctioned. He detailed the pending dues, stating that ₹188.58 crore remains unpaid for 2023–24, ₹513.54 crore for 2024–25, and ₹446.01 crore for 2025–26, taking the total outstanding amount since 2023–24 to ₹1,158.13 crore.

“At a time when Kerala can offer ₹25 crore as the first prize in its bumper lottery, it is unjust that only ₹6 crore is allocated for the educational needs of a large State,” Sivankutty said. He concluded by raising a series of questions on behalf of students in Kerala, asking why their education was being affected and whether their pursuit of quality education was being penalised. He added that the withheld funds were meant for marginalised sections, including SC/ST and differently-abled students, and expressed confidence that the State would unite in protest against what he described as discriminatory treatment.