Kerala: Finance Minister K N Balagopal slams Union Budget for ignoring state and disparity in fund allocations

Finance Minister K.N. Balagopal expressed disappointment with the Union Budget on Saturday, criticizing the lack of consideration for Kerala, particularly the absence of a special package for Wayanad.

Thiruvananthapuram: Finance Minister K.N. Balagopal on Saturday (Feb 01) described the budget as disappointing and worthy of protest, stating that Kerala was ignored, even though a special package for Wayanad was not considered. He emphasized that, beyond political interests, all states should have been treated equally in the budget.

He was addressing the media hours after Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presented the budget in the Parliament.

"The budget presented today shows little change from the previous ones of the third Modi government. It reflects an unequal approach towards the states, with more attention given to politically significant regions while others are neglected. There were justifiable expectations in some areas, but there was no discussion on the financial matters Kerala needed, including the Wayanad package and Vizhinjam. Overall, the approach towards Kerala in this budget is extremely disappointing," he said.

"I'm not saying everything should be equal, but the figures show significant disparities. The people of Kerala are not the ones advocating for regionalism. Elections are upcoming in Bihar and Delhi, so there may have been some political decisions made. However, the lack of special consideration for Wayanad’s disaster and for a project like Vizhinjam, which benefits the entire country, is disappointing and worthy of protest. The budget did not address the financial matters that Kerala deserves. I hope there will be a correction in this regard," Balagopal noted.

"When looking at the overall approach of the budget, any report concerning Kerala cannot fail to mention positive aspects. All the statistics related to sustainable development, waste management, and land use are favorable to Kerala. In terms of national economic growth, Kerala's growth is better than the national average. Many projects previously implemented by Kerala are now being announced in the budget. However, the issue lies in the fact that the Centre will allocate funds for these projects. This is not what Kerala needs. For the next phase of development, Kerala is not receiving the necessary funds," he added.