Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has said that the Opposition United Democratic Front (UDF) and the Congress seem to have adopted an anti-Kerala attitude akin to the BJP to ruin the State.
Addressing the Navakerala Sadas for the Thrikkakara Assembly constituency on Monday, Mr. Vijayan slammed the Leader of the Opposition for turning down a request by the State Cabinet to project a united front in fighting the Centre’s discrimination against Kerala. “Unfortunately, the Opposition leader had taken the position that it [the Opposition] did not want to have any understanding with us,” he alleged.
Not a single Member of Parliament out of the 18 UDF MPs has raised any opposition to the Centre’s neglect of Kerala, Mr. Vijayan said. He added that despite making all-round progress, the State was in financial crisis owing to hurdles posed by the Centre.
The Constitution empowers States to take loans to ensure financial stability to reaffirm which the State Assembly has passed legislation. However, the Centre is intervening in that right, which is a violation of the Constitution, the Chief Minister said.
“The Centre’s proportion of debt to total revenue remains at 51%, while that of the State government stands at a mere 35%. Yet, the Centre has cut shot our capacity to take loan through measures like including the debt of KIIFB [Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board] in the State’s debt. The State government has been paying social welfare pension to 62 lakh people at the rate of ₹1,600 through a company, which was then reimbursed by the government. But now the debt of that company has also been included in the government’s debt,” said Mr. Vijayan in a perceived attempt to explain the disruption in welfare pension.
Presenting a progress report of sorts of the LDF government since 2016, Mr. Vijayan said the domestic growth of the State had grown by 8% between 2016 and 2023. The State’s own revenue has registered a massive growth of 41%, while domestic production has grown from ₹5 lakh crore to ₹10 lakh crore during the same period. The per capita income has increased by ₹80,000.
The State, the Chief Minister said, was staring at the prospect of having to meet 71% of its expenditure during this fiscal as the Centre had progressively reduced the State’s share of tax revenue to a mere 29% as against the national average of 47%. The pending revenue deficit grant due has also piled up.
