Rehashing Neo-liberalism in Kerala

While reading V Bijukumar’s paper titled “‘New Developmentalism’ and Left Mobilisation in Kerala: Experimenting an Alternative to Neo-liberal Development” (EPW, 28 January 2023), I found it curious that while defending what he describes as an alternative development model pursued by the Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI[M]) government there, he totally ignores two major controversial projects undertaken by chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan which have provoked widespread protests in Kerala.

The first is the `64,000 crore ambitious Silver Line project, which is claimed to be a fast-moving railway track. However, it involves the demolition of hundreds of houses and buildings near the proposed railway line. Even the well-known left-leaning Kerala Sasthra Sahithya Parishad has raised objections to the project. People living in the neighbourhood came out in protest by uprooting the survey stones set up by the government to mark the spots through which the railway line was to be laid down. Faced by the massive protests, Vijayan had to retract and announced “halt for now” for his pet railway project, implying that he may revive it in the future.