[random_ind_dude]

Kerala has alternated between a left-wing coalition(the Left Democratic Front - LDF) and a centrist to centre-right coalition(the United Democratic Front - UDF) for a long time. The current major communist party in Kerala, though ideologically Marxist-Leninist, is practically a social democratic one in its policies and actions.

[SanjayMehta]

Some years ago I was planning to set up subsidiary development centres in tier 2 cities, including Trivandrum.

My team - mostly from Kerala - came to me en masse and told me not to, and this was long before Nokku Kooli became a well known thing.

Don't know or care whether it was during UDF/LDF or whatever rule.

A couple of years ago a major clothes manufacturer, founded in that state, packed up and left.

A parallel from WB: Tata's moved their automobile factory to Gujarat, which has since then shipped over a million cars.

[random_ind_dude]

I have a hard time believing that your team who were mostly from Kerala asked you not to set up a development centre there, as IT is pretty immune to militant trade unionism. A lot of companies have development centres in Trivandrum, some were set up more than twenty years ago.

I don't disagree that Kerala was known for being rather unfriendly to big industries, but things are changing. The Union Ministry of Commerce and Industry ranked Kerala at the top in 2024 for "Ease of Doing Business Reforms".

https://www.newindianexpress.com/states/kerala/2024/Sep/06/e...

As for the clothes manufacturer, I believe you are talking about Kitex. They didn't go anywhere and their factories are still there in Kerala. They did set up a new factory recently in Telengana though, which, along with the rest of the company, is going through a rough phase now because of Trump's tariffs.

[SanjayMehta]

Believe whatever you want, it's a free country.

[random_ind_dude]

I think I was a bit hasty in expressing disbelief about your experience. Your team asked you not to set up a development centre in Kerala probably because it was not really known for being industry-friendly at the time. Apologies.