Thiruvananthapuram | Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and Leader of Opposition in the State Assembly V D Satheesan were unanimous in their view that the Union Budget for the financial year 2024-25 was a "political exercise" aimed at ensuring the survival of the BJP-led NDA coalition at the Centre.
The leaders of both the ruling and opposition fronts in the state also criticised the budget for making no mention of Kerala or its requirements.
Vijayan said the Centre has been "discriminatory" in its approach to the states, and most of them, including Kerala, have been ignored.
"The budget documents show significant cuts in important central projects... The figures indicate an indifferent approach to projects affecting the common people," the CM said in a statement issued by his office.
The budget announcements made by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman are aimed at the "political survival" of the BJP government, he alleged. "Projects announced in the budget are aimed at reinforcing the central government's political survival and neglect the needs of most states."
Leader of Opposition in the State Assembly V D Satheesan too alleged that the Modi government turned the budget into a document to address "political instability and maintain power".
"The third Modi government's first budget has narrow political interests and not a national vision," he said in a statement.
He also accused the central government of continuing to help the corporates and forgetting the common people.
Earlier in the day, Kerala Finance Minister K N Balagopal termed the budget a "political exercise and gimmick" aimed at "saving the life" of the NDA coalition at the Centre.
"This budget is aimed at extending the life of the NDA government at the Centre. It needs to be protested against," he told reporters at a press conference held here after the Union Budget 2024-25 was presented.
Balagopal said the budget announcements were "anti-people, depressing and not conducive to the progress of the country, and will affect Kerala in a big way".
The minister said the budget indicates that the Modi government is "not fit to talk about cooperative federalism".
States like Bihar and UP meet 71 per cent and 47 per cent of their expenditure, respectively, from central allocations, whereas Kerala gets only 21 per cent, he pointed out.
"The Indian average is 48 per cent," he said, adding that the "central government should correct this position and states should get their due share".
Expressing extreme dissatisfaction and disappointment with the Union budget, he commented, "Once BJP opened its account in Kerala, they closed the account of the state."
Satheesan too shared this view. He pointed out that the BJP had claimed that if it gets an MP from Kerala, the state's needs would get more consideration.
Both the Left front and the Congress-led UDF also said that many legitimate needs of Kerala, such as an AIIMS in the state, were ignored by the Centre.
They said that the needs of Kerala in various sectors, including agricultural, labour and coastal, have been completely neglected and there was no mention of the state in the disaster relief package.
"This neglect is disappointing and objectionable," Vijayan said in his statement.
He said that after examining the budget proposals in detail, a concerted effort will be made to reiterate Kerala's demands before the Centre.
The CM said there should be a consensus in Kerala against this "neglect", regardless of party politics.
Balagopal said that the two BJP ministers from Kerala and the UDF MPs should intervene strongly to correct the approach of the Centre.
"We should be able to move forward jointly to protect the common interest of Kerala," he said.
