Unemployment rate in Kerala higher than national average, says BJP

The BJP on Wednesday accused the ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF) in Kerala of failing to fulfil the promises it had made to the people during the last assembly polls, and said that the state's unemployment rate was higher than the national average.

BJP spokesperson Gopal Krishan Agarwal said the people of Kerala are now yearning for a change after decades of rule of the LDF and the Congress-led United Democratic Front UDF.

The BJP has prepared a road map for overall development of the state, Agarwal added.

Assembly elections in Kerala will be held on April 6.

Addressing a press conference at the party headquarters here, Agarwal listed a number of promises made by the LDF in its manifesto before the last assembly elections in Kerala, and added that most of them have not been fulfilled.

"The state lacks infrastructure. In the last assembly elections, the LDF had promised on expanding IT park, but nothing has been done so far. Similarly for Kochi Metro, the Centre didn't get permission for three years," he said.

Expressing concern over the slowdown in Kerala's economy, the BJP leader said the state is overdependent on remittances from the Gulf countries and other nations. And there are very few employment opportunities in the state itself.

"The rate of unemployment in Kerala is higher than the national average. Both the LDF and the UDF have done nothing to generate employment opportunities in Kerala," he said.