Opposition to tractors, computers still haunting Kerala: Chandy

The opposition to tractors and computers in the 1970s under the impression that jobs will be affected continues to haunt Kerala's development, Chief Minister Oommen Chandy said Tuesday.

In the 1970s, Left parties had vehemently opposed the use of tractors in paddy fields. On numerous occasions, there were bitter struggles between farmers who tried to adopt mechanised farming methods and the working class who later emerged victorious.

Chandy told reporters after a cabinet meeting that when he was the finance minister in the 1990s, his attempt to introduce computers in one of his departments saw protests from the Left unions. On one occasion, several computers were destroyed.

"These two incidents are still fresh in the minds of many people. Even with all this, Kerala is the best state in India to invest in," he said.

Chandy said that over the years, he has been doing his best to bring in investment to the state.

Even while describing Kerala as the best state, he was critical of the fact that the Seaplane project that he launched last year has not been able to take off following protests from the fishermen community.

Chandy's statements came a day after German Consul General in Bangalore Jorn Rohde said during a visit that all Indian states are now on a serious marketing drive to promote themselves and hence investors have a lot of options.