Just after assuming office as the BJP’s new Kerala State President, Rajeev Chandrasekhar—the technocrat-entrepreneur-turned-politician—declared his mission to "salvage" Kerala, which he described as a miserably failed state. Mere days earlier, Union Finance Minister and senior BJP leader Nirmala Sitharaman had lamented in Parliament that Kerala was in shambles due to practices like Nokkukooli.

Ironically, the same week, India Today, the country’s premier news magazine, introduced a new metric to gauge national progress—the Gross Domestic Behaviour (GDB). This social barometer, designed to measure the "invisible infrastructure of inner discipline," was based on four key parameters: Civic Behaviour, Public Safety, Gender Attitudes, and Diversity & Discrimination. In collaboration with a data analytics firm, the survey assessed 21 states and one Union Territory, analysing responses from 9,188 individuals to evaluate societal and personal behavioural trends across regions.

And who emerged the best in this country’s first-of-its-kind ranking? The “failed state” of Kerala. The worst? Uttar Pradesh, the BJP’s model state, ranked 22nd. Four other states at the bottom five included two more “saffron showpieces”: Gujarat (20) and Madhya Pradesh (19). The other laggards were led by Aam Aadmi Party and Congress: Punjab (21) and “India’s Silicon Valley”, Karnataka (18). The two that followed Kerala at the top were Opposition-ruled states: Tamil Nadu (2) and West Bengal (3). So, is it Kerala that needs to be urgently changed as Seetharaman and Chandrasekharan want?

Though the BJP, the United Democratic Front, and much of the mainstream media have largely ignored these findings—just as they do with many of Kerala’s recent accomplishments—due to their prevailing hostility toward the Left Democratic Front government, they certainly deserve recognition. However, while it may be petty for the Opposition and the media to overlook these achievements, it would be equally absurd for the current government to claim sole credit.

Like all of Kerala’s well-known successes, these, too, are the result of sustained efforts over generations—not just by successive governments but by the common people of Kerala and even many from outside who contributed to the state’s progress. The same holds true for Kerala’s shortcomings, for which collective responsibility must be acknowledged. Recognising and celebrating these achievements is not about self-congratulation but about reaffirming the principles and policies that made them possible, ensuring we do not stray from that path.

The survey assumes national significance on another count as well. As it says, these findings prove the uncomfortable truth, a “less-than-perfect undertow” of a nation coursing towards economic superpowerdom and........

© Mathrubhumi English