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Rajeev Chandrasekhar Credits PM Modi For Kerala’s 99% Poverty Eradication, Faces Backlash On X

He further challenged Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan to “prove him wrong,” asserting that central government schemes were the main reason behind the state’s social progress.

Rajeev Chandrasekhar Written by
Rajeev Chandrasekhar Credits PM Modi For Kerala’s 99% Poverty Eradication, Faces Backlash On X

Rajeev Chandrasekhar Gives “99%” Credit To PM Modi For Kerala’s Extreme Poverty Eradication — Then X Schools Him

Union Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar found himself at the centre of an online debate after he credited Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the central government for Kerala’s “99% extreme poverty eradication,” a claim that quickly drew sharp reactions on the social media platform X on Tuesday.

Speaking about recent NITI Aayog data showing that Kerala has almost eradicated extreme poverty, Chandrasekhar posted that the achievement was “99% due to the efforts and policies of PM Narendra Modi.”

He further challenged Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan to “prove him wrong,” asserting that central government schemes were the main reason behind the state’s social progress.


However, the minister’s statement triggered a flood of responses on X, with users questioning his claim and pointing out Kerala’s long-standing history of strong public welfare, education, and healthcare systems — achievements often credited to successive state governments across party lines.

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User @YMannisseri wrote, “Ok, agreed! Then one question — why are UP and other BJP-ruled states not on the list? Is the central government not providing the same schemes to them?” Another user, @hobbermallow29, commented, “Yeah, happened only in the state where BJP never came into power — says a lot about you folks.”


Others took a more sarcastic tone. One user quipped, “Not just that, every day the sun rises in the East is because of Gobi-G,” referring humorously to Modi’s oft-cited leadership.


Many users from Kerala also weighed in, emphasising that the state’s success was the result of decades of consistent policy, literacy programs, and grassroots-level reforms.

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A Malayali user wrote: “No sir… it was years of work by many governments, both Congress and Communist, that brought Kerala out of extreme poverty. Central governments (Congress/UPA/NDA) only did a periphery job. You can’t take the credit away from the state.”

Data shared by other users also painted a more complex picture. Some pointed out Kerala’s rising debt levels, noting that the state’s total liabilities increased from ₹1.6 lakh crore in 2015–16 to ₹4.8 lakh crore in 2025 — nearly a fourfold jump — with a debt-to-GSDP ratio exceeding 30%.

Critics used this to question whether the state’s financial health matched its social welfare outcomes, while others argued that welfare spending was integral to Kerala’s poverty eradication success.


Rajeev Chandrasekhar, who hails from Kerala and has been active in defending the BJP’s policies in the state, has yet to respond to the barrage of comments. His post, however, reignited an ongoing debate over credit-sharing between state and central governments when it comes to social progress indicators.

Meanwhile, economists note that Kerala’s poverty reduction story is the result of a blend of factors — from historical land reforms and public education investments to modern central welfare schemes such as PM Awas Yojana, Ayushman Bharat, and PM Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana.

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