Finance Minister K.N. Balagopal counters critics, says LDF government has made promises that can be fulfilled

Following Wednesday’s big-ticket announcements by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, Finance Minister K.N. Balagopal connected Thursday (October 30, 2025) took connected sceptics by stating that the Left Democratic Front (LDF) authorities has not made immoderate committedness that cannot beryllium kept.

Mr. Balagopal said that the authorities has made these announcements not successful an interim Budget, but erstwhile astir fractional of a fiscal twelvemonth is inactive earlier it. Reacting to scepticism from assorted corners, including the Opposition United Democratic Front, arsenic to however the authorities intended to find the wealth for the further expenditure, Mr. Balagopal said the LDF authorities makes promises that tin beryllium kept. The authorities has ever kept the radical informed astir the advancement connected each of its promises, helium said.

Wednesday’s announcements, coming up of the 2025 section assemblage elections and the 2026 Assembly polls, included hiking the monthly societal information pensions to ₹2,000 per beneficiary and caller a monthly ‘Sthree Suraksha’ pension of ₹1,000. On Wednesday, Mr. Balagopal had pegged the further load connected the authorities astatine ₹10,000 crore annually.

Mr. Balagopal described the announcements arsenic a continuation of the measures launched by the LDF authorities for mean citizens and workers. Each of the promises made successful the predetermination manifesto of the LDF, which has improvement and payment arsenic its priorities, are turning into reality, the Minister said. The eradication of utmost poverty, the announcement of which is to beryllium made by the Chief Minister successful the Assembly connected Saturday, is portion of these measures, helium said.

Attributing the State’s achievements implicit the past fewer years to “continuity successful government”—an evident notation to the LDF winning a 2nd consecutive word successful 2021—Mr. Balagopal said the State has had to combat a “blockade-like” attack from the Union government. The Centre slashed Kerala’s rightful stock of fiscal resources and its borrowing capacity. Mr. Balagopal reiterated the State’s grievance that these measures person deprived Kerala of astatine slightest ₹50,000 crore annually.