Kerala's ruling Left, opposition Congress slam Union Budget

Thiruvananthapuram, July 23 (IANS) Kerala's ruling Left and opposition Congress slammed the Budget 2024-25 presented by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Tuesday for ignoring the state, but the state BJP said that it will spur development. 

State Finance Minister K.N.Balagopal said this is the most disappointing Union budget in the recent past.

"Kerala has been totally sidelined in this budget and it’s really disappointing as there is not even a mention at all. We had submitted a package where our needs were clearly spelt out but there has been nothing," he said.

Leader of Opposition V.D. Satheesan, of the Congress, said this budget clearly shows it’s more political than financial.

"This budget is more a political document as for obvious reasons, this is a budget for Andhra Pradesh and Bihar. The Union FM appears to have totally forgotten a state like Kerala. A lot of noise was created during the Lok Sabha poll campaign, that if a BJP candidate wins, then Kerala will stand to benefit hugely and see what has happened now. Just have a look, non-BJP ruled states have been ignored and this outlook is totally wrong," he said.

State Revenue Minister and veteran CPI leader K. Rajan said despite the presence of two Ministers from Kerala in the Centre, the budget has been a total washout for Kerala.

"Suresh Gopi is MoS Tourism and just see, is there anything for Kerala, a hugely important tourist attraction in the country? Kerala has been totally ignored and there has to be a protest in the way our state has been looked into by the Centre," he said.

But, state BJP chief K. Surendran defended the budget, termed it as a visionary one which will spur development. "This budget will be a huge impetus for the youth as a record 4.1 crore new jobs will be created and a month’s salary will be credited to all new employees. The increase in Mudra loans is going to benefit entrepreneurs. It’s unfortunate that State Finance Minister Balagopal is reacting without knowing facts as in the budget, there will be no mention of AIIMS, but Kerala will get an AIIMS for sure," he said.