‘Kakkanad was once a fox-inhabited land, transformed by UDF…’: Kunhalikutty lists achievements

Kozhikode: Former Industries minister PK Kunhalikutty has responded to Shashi Tharoor by highlighting the development achievements during the UDF's tenure. He stated that world-class development reached Kerala during the Antony government and that professional educational institutions for today’s startups, were established under the UDF. He also accused the Left government of destroying Kerala’s industrial environment through militant trade unionism.

Key points from Kunhalikutty’s press conference

Kunhalikutty emphasised that the Kakkanchery Park, which was praised as a model by the Industrial Minister, was followed by the establishment of KINFRA. “It was inaugurated as a platform for new industrial ventures based on research,” he said. He pointed out that Kakkanad was once a land inhabited by foxes, but the Antony government had the vision to turn it into an IT destination. It was during that period that Infopark and other infrastructure projects were implemented, shaping Kakkanad into what it is today.

He further credited the digital transformation of Kerala to the Akshaya project, which was introduced during the UDF government. He mentioned the governments of K Karunakaran, AK Antony, and Oommen Chandy had collectively brought significant changes to Kerala’s industrial landscape. He also highlighted key investment initiatives like ‘Emerging Kerala’ under Antony and ‘Investors’ Meet’ under Oommen Chandy as major milestones.

Left government’s role and criticism

Kunhalikutty acknowledged that the Left government takes credit for startups but argued that such ventures require a strong foundation of professional educational institutions, which the Left had opposed in the past through violent protests. Despite these hurdles, the UDF had successfully opened up the education sector.

He also criticised the industrial environment in Kerala, pointing out that labour militancy, threats to investors, and frequent strikes have created a hostile business climate. He stated that while the opposition now claims to have changed its stance, the Left’s past policies of demolition and disruption cannot be forgotten, referencing large-scale demolitions of resorts using bulldozers.

The context of Tharoor’s article

Kunhalikutty’s remarks were in response to an article by Shashi Tharoor in an English newspaper, where Tharoor praised Kerala’s industrial sector and the Left-led government’s contributions to sustainable growth and entrepreneurship. This article became a topic of discussion within the opposition, leading to reactions from UDF leaders like VD Satheesan and Ramesh Chennithala.