Pinarayi Vijayan says CM Satheesan's budget lacks vision for Kerala’s future

Thiruvananthapuram: Pinarayi Vijayan, the Leader of the Opposition in the Kerala Assembly, criticised Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan's inaugural Budget on Friday, disputing the government's assertion of a financial crisis and stating that the document lacked a vision for the state's future.

Reacting to the Budget, Vijayan said the narrative built around Kerala being in a severe financial crisis, first through the White Paper and later repeated during the Budget presentation, appeared to be more of a political statement than a reflection of the state’s actual financial position, IANS reported.

“After scrutinising the Budget, it appears there is no such financial danger as projected. The financial crisis narrative was created as a political argument,” Vijayan said.

The former Chief Minister alleged that the Budget had failed to provide adequate focus on welfare and development and had instead reduced allocations in several crucial sectors, particularly traditional industries and agriculture.

Vijayan said that while the previous government had introduced several schemes to support the agrarian sector, there was little in the new Budget to strengthen agriculture, which, he warned, could adversely affect farmers.

He also criticised the Budget’s repeated references to the previous government, calling it a deliberate attempt to highlight negatives rather than present a forward-looking economic plan.

“A Budget should lay out a vision for the future. But there appears to be no blueprint for a future Kerala,” he said, adding that the previous LDF government had given equal importance to welfare and infrastructure development.

The Opposition leader alleged that several schemes announced in the Budget were merely earlier programmes repackaged under new names.

He also pointed out that issues raised by Satheesan himself when he was Leader of the Opposition have not found mention in the Budget after he assumed office.

Vijayan accused the government of giving excessive importance to the private sector.

He said initiatives in sectors such as mining, maritime development and healthcare appeared designed to open public assets to private players.

Referring to the Budget’s emphasis on maritime development, he alleged that the proposed maritime policy was aimed at handing over the sea sector to private interests.

He also questioned the fisheries sub-plan, saying it could become a way to bring private players into a sector that should primarily protect the interests of fishermen.

The proposal for a land bank was also viewed with suspicion by Vijayan, who said it could eventually benefit private investors rather than the public interest.

He raised similar concerns over the proposed Kerala Health and Life Science City, arguing that the Budget lacked a clear plan to strengthen the public health system.

The Opposition leader said the move appeared to encourage private participation in healthcare at a time when corporate groups had already entered the hospital sector.

Vijayan also questioned the proposal to create a think tank, saying it raised doubts over the future role of the State Planning Board.

He pointed out that the Centre had abolished the Planning Commission and suggested that the Budget’s approach could indicate a similar weakening of planning institutions in Kerala.

On KIIFB, Vijayan defended the institution, saying it had played a crucial role over the past several years in building infrastructure across Kerala.

He criticised the proposal to restructure KIIFB, stating that its contribution to the state’s development should not be ignored.

Rejecting the government’s claim that the Budget contained major surprises, Vijayan said he found nothing exceptional in the announcements.

“The Budget that was projected as one full of surprises has offered nothing of that sort,” he said.

Overall, Vijayan warned that the Budget’s approach would create problems for Kerala by weakening welfare priorities and increasing dependence on private participation.