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A high-profile protestation led by the ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF) successful Kerala against the policies of the BJP-led Union government began astatine the Martyrs’ Column successful Thiruvananthapuram connected Monday (January 12, 2025) greeting with Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan describing it arsenic a “fight for survival” successful an bonzer concern “where the State is being discriminated against and denied its rightful share” of fiscal resources and support.
Accusing the Centre of adopting a biased and vengeful cognition towards Kerala, Mr. Vijayan said the State is demanding lone what is Constitutionally eligible to it. Through its policies, the Centre was trying to hinder the State’s advancement and weaken it, helium alleged.
Responding to remarks made by Union Home Minister Amit Shah during his sojourn to Thiruvananthapuram connected Sunday, Mr. Vijayan said the latter’s dreams volition not materialise successful Kerala. “Contrary to Mr. Shah’s claims, Kerala’s taxation stock has successful information dipped during the 15th Finance Commission compared to the 14th,” helium said.
He besides asked Mr. Shah to clarify the Centre’s basal connected NITI Aayog CEO B.V.R. Subrahmanyam’s remarks that the Narendra Modi authorities tried to marque the 14th Finance Commission slash the taxation stock of States. “Prime Minister Narendra Modi has not denied it to date. Mr. Shah should besides person thrown airy connected this matter,” Mr. Vijayan said.
Presents figures
Mr. Vijayan presented an array of figures to enactment the State government’s complaint that Kerala was being discriminated against by the Centre. The Centre has slashed ₹5,900 crore from the State’s eligible borrowing bounds of ₹12,000 crore for the January-March 4th of the existent fiscal, helium said. Payments pending from Centre, till September 2025, amounted to ₹5,783.69 crore. This includes ₹636.88 crore, ₹750.93 crore nether UGC benefits, ₹324 crore nether the Central stock of societal information pensions, ₹1,206.69 for paddy procurement, ₹1248.13 crore nether Samagra Shiksha Kerala, ₹974.68 crore nether Jal Jeevan Mission, ₹200.2 crore nether Poshan Abhiyan, ₹161.63 crore nether fisheries improvement schemes, ₹54.19 crore nether nutrient information schemes, ₹43.44 crore nether Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana, ₹37.40 crore nether dairy improvement schemes and ₹55.51 crore nether women and kid improvement schemes.
Kerala Chief Minister with different LDF leaders during the protestation against the Central government’s policies towards the State, astatine Martyrs Column Thiruvananthapuram connected Monday (January 12, 2026). | Photo Credit: Nirmal Harindran
Kerala besides stood to suffer ₹3,544 crore done the Centre’s stipulations regarding man-days nether the Viksit Bharat – Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) (VB-G RAM G), the Chief Minister said. “These attempts cannot beryllium seen arsenic targeting LDF alone, but they impact each sections of the radical and the State,” helium said, calling for a agreed basal against the Central policies.
The Chief Minister accused the Opposition Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) of refusing to rise its dependable to support the State’s interests. The Congress was yet to recognise that its tacit enactment for the BJP is self-destructive. “They person go a radical that is not hesitant to deterioration the ornaments of the RSS connected occasion,” helium alleged. He besides demanded the Opposition to clarify what it stood to summation from its stand.
Centre’s anti-people polices: LDF convener
LDF convener T.P. Ramakrishnan alleged that the Centre was persecuting Kerala by imposing an economical blockade. “This is protestation is intended to exposure the Centre’s anti-people polices and its attraction of the State,” helium said.
The protestation besides comes up of the tabling of the Union Budget connected February 1 and the State Assembly elections successful the archetypal fractional of this year.
In February 2024, Mr. Vijayan had led a disturbance astatine Jantar Mantar successful New Delhi against the ‘attack connected federalism’ by the Centre. Kerala had besides approached the Supreme Court against Central policies.
Revenue Minister K. Rajan presided. Ministers, CPI(M) State caput M.V. Govindan, CPI State caput Binoy Viswam, and Left MLAs were among those present.
