He requested the Opposition to join the state government's protest against the Union government at Jantar Mantar in Delhi on 8 February.
Published Jan 23, 2024 | 1:22 PM ⚊ Updated Jan 23, 2024 | 1:27 PM
Kerala Finance Minister KN Balagopal during the press conference. (Screengrab)
Kerala Finance Minister KN Balagopal on Tuesday, 23 January, called for a “collective effort” to oppose the Union government’s neglect towards the state.
He once again requested the Congress-led UDF Opposition to join the state government’s protest against the Union government at Jantar Mantar in Delhi at 11 am on 8 February.
Balagopal said that while the UDF was politically opposed to the Left government, if it was concerned about Kerala, then it should join the protest against the Centre.
The UDF had rejected the invitation earlier.
Meanwhile, the LDF government on Monday invited Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin to join the protest.
The invitation letter from the Kerala chief minister to Stalin was handed over by state Industries Minister P Rajeev in Chennai, according to an official release in Thiruvananthapuram on Monday.
The state finance minister said that there was a difference in the views of Congress leaders in Kerala and those outside on this issue.
Balagopal said that Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and former Union Minister P Chidambaram were both of the view that the Union government’s alleged neglect towards Kerala and the resultant financial problems faced by the state were concerning.
“However, the Congress leaders in Kerala do not share that view due to their political differences with the LDF. But, what I have to say is that if they are concerned about Kerala’s interests they should join the protest. I request them to do so,” he said while speaking to reporters in Thiruvananthapuram.
The minister claimed that Kerala was deprived of around ₹57,000 crore that it was to get from the Union government under various heads and that was the cause for the financial problems in the state.
“If we get even half of it, we can address various financial problems,” he said.
Balagopal further said that due to these adversities, the state was struggling, financially, to move forward.
“But, things have not come to a standstill despite all that. There are various payments, like DA arrears, which we have to make and we will make them. We are not shying away from that responsibility,” he said.
That is why we are seeking the support of the UDF Opposition in the protest against the Union government, he added.
“We need to work together, irrespective of our political differences, in the interests of the state.”
He also pointed out, during the press briefing, that Kerala was the state with the highest number of appointments — around 60 percent — of the total appointments in the country.
At the same time, Kerala is the state which receives the least share from central taxes in the entire country, Balagopal contended highlighting the lack of funds to compensate the new appointments.
The ruling LDF has been stepping up its protests against the BJP-led Union government in a calibrated manner.
Recently, lakhs of people from various walks of life joined hands to complete a DYFI-organised human chain from the Kasaragod Railway Station in the north to Thiruvananthapuram in the south against the Union government.
The human chain was also a prelude to the massive protests planned by the state government in Delhi in the coming weeks, highlighting the Union government’s discriminatory attitude towards Kerala, especially on financial matters.
The human chain was formed between 4 pm to 5 pm, and public meetings followed in many locations. A trial chain was organised around 3.30 pm to detect breaches, if any.
Talking to South First over the telephone from Kasaragod, DYFI all-India president and Rajya Sabha member AA Rahim said that over 10 lakh people joined the uninterrupted north-to-south human chain. Rahim was the first link in the chain in the front yard of the Kasaragod Railway Station.
On the day of the protest in Delhi, cadres of the LDF constituents will fan out across the state and inform people about the discrimination the state faces and how it has impacted its finances.
On 19 January, the Opposition UDF had firmly rejected the proposal of joining the protests in Delhi.
The idea of the ruling LDF and the Opposition UDF joining forces in a protest in Delhi against the Union government’s apathy towards the state failed to gain the support of the Congress and its allies in Kerala.
They disagreed with Vijayan’s narrative that attributes the state’s financial challenges solely to neglect by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA).
Interacting with the media in Thiruvananthapuram, Leader of Opposition in the Assembly, VD Satheesan, said that he had already conveyed to Vijayan directly that the wrong policies and extravagance on the part of the state government had contributed to Kerala’s financial woes.
In a letter dispatched to the chief minister on 19 January, Satheesan reiterated that the Opposition brought issues, such as mismanagement in the tax administration in Kerala, to the state government’s attention through two white papers, but that the ruling LDF had ignored their findings.
(With PTI inputs)
