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Amid the Opposition's charge that Budget 2025 had ignored Kerala, Union Minister George Kurian has said the southern state must declare that it is backward if it wants more funds from the Centre. The remark has intensified the row and the ruling Left has said the minister's statement reflects the Centre's "anti-Kerala" stand.
Shortly after Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman delivered the Budget speech in Lok Sabha, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said it was a disappointing budget for the state. He said the Centre had ignored their request for funds to rebuild Wayanad, where landslides in July claimed more than 400 lives. The Budget also ignored the Vizhinjam Port in Kerala.
"We had requested a special package for Rs 24,000 crore besides a special Wayanad landslide package. Considering the national importance of the Vizhinjam Port, we had requested support for it too. But none of these have been considered," he said.
"Kerala is being penalised for its gains in the education and other sectors. It is said that our state does not need more as we are already ahead in many sectors. But there are some areas where Kerala is lagging. But we get no support from the Union government to uplift these sectors," he said. "Kerala has been sidelined badly in this Budget and this is unacceptable to us," the Chief Minister said.
Amid the criticism from Kerala, Union Minister Kurian said the Centre allocates financial packages to states that have fallen behind on development indices. In a sharp remark aimed at the Left government, he said, "You announce that Kerala is backward, that it does not have roads, good education, etc. If you say Kerala is behind other states in terms of education, infrastructure, and social welfare, then the (Finance) Commission will examine it and give a report to the central government. The central government will make a decision based on the report. It does not decide on its own."
Mr Kurian, who is from Kerala's Kottayam district, is a Minister of State for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying and for Minority Affairs in the third Narendra Modi government. He is a Rajya Sabha MP since September last year.
Mr Kurian's remark drew sharp responses from Left leaders. CPM state secretary M V Govindan said the Centre wants Kerala to be backward, "but that will not happen". He alleged that the BJP has an "anti-Kerala stand" and its leaders from the state share that outlook.
"The objective of the BJP is to make Kerala poor and backward. They made several attempts to tighten their grip on the state. As all such attempts have failed, they are now trying to push Kerala backward by denying deserved allocations," he alleged.
Veteran CPM leader EP Jayarajan said the people of Kerala should come forward and protest against the Union minister's statement.