Political ideologies hinder Central schemes from reaching Kerala, says Suresh Gopi

The people of Kerala have been unable to benefit from several Central government schemes due to political opposition, Union Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural Gas and Tourism Suresh Gopi said here on Monday (June 15, 2026).

He said it should be probed why the benefits of schemes such as Ayushman Bharat and PM-SHRI were not reaching the people of the State, especially the youth. Pointing to the political opposition to such schemes, the BJP leader said denying the State their benefits was against the spirit of cooperative federalism.

He was inaugurating a seminar on ‘Viksit Kerala with Viksit Bharat’ as part of the celebrations marking the 12th anniversary of the Narendra Modi-led Central government.

“We can call Kerala the heart or the brain of Bharat. But it is a fact that though the Central government wants an equal distribution of its benefits to all, they do not reach Kerala. We know that political ideologies should not be a hindrance to this. But we also cannot force the schemes on the people,” he said.

Mr. Gopi said the Modi government had implemented over 350 schemes touching various aspects of life over the past 12 years. He termed India’s young population, which accounts for around 70% of the country’s population, its muscle power. BJP Ernakulam city district president chaired the meeting.