Left, Congress leaders slam Union Budget for ignoring Kerala

Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] general secretary M.A. Baby said that the Union Budget exposes the blind commitment of the Modi government to a few big corporate houses at the expense of the working and toiling people, as well as the larger national interest. He said that the transfers to States have gone down by lakhs of crores in a blatant subversion of fiscal federalism even as they are being financially squeezed through GST and by passing on the burden of expenditure on Central schemes.

“The numbers reveal a massive contraction of revenues, which is being compensated by slashing expenditure across the board, including in key sectors such as Rural Development, Education, Health and Social Welfare. A naked assault is being carried out against the workers and peasants, with further cuts proposed in fertilizer, food, and petroleum subsidies. There is not even a pretense anymore of supporting agriculture, at a time when the sector is already facing a collapse of prices,” said Mr. Baby.

CPI(M) State secretary M.V. Govindan on Sunday termed the Union Budget “a declaration of war” against Kerala, alleging deliberate political vendetta and continued neglect of the State.

Addressing a press conference in Kasaragod, he said Kerala had been completely excluded from major national initiatives. He said that the announcement of seven high-speed rail corridors across the country while sidelining Kerala was unacceptable.

Communist Party of India (CPI) State secretary Binoy Viswam said that the wishes of States where the BJP had interests had been granted, while places like Kerala were completely ignored.

Mr. Viswam alleged that the BJP had tried to raise hopes about proposals for an All India Institute Of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) and high-speed rail project ahead of the Budget while projecting the ideas of people like ‘Metroman’ E. Sreedharan. “The State has not got a high-speed rail. But we have got a project to conserve sea turtles. This is a joke,” Mr. Viswam said.

Accusing the BJP of deceiving the people of Kerala by making hollow promises, Congress Working Committee member Ramesh Chennithala said that the Budget had turned out to be a “complete disappointment”.

“The Prime Minister came to Thiruvananthapuram and spoke eloquently about a developed India. The question that arises after the Budget is whether Kerala will be included in Modi’s developed India,” he said.