'New BJP ministers, same old storyline'; Kerala finds no mention in union budget

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Many expected the union budget to shower some grace towards Kerala, after the saffron party’s rising acceptance among people of the southern state. Despite the two union ministers from the state and the historic win from Thrissur, the budget even failed to mention the state’s name, aggravating the state’s already crippled economy.

Opposition MPs from Kerala protested against the discrimination while other southern states were given a handful from the budget.

In a bid to not rock the NDA ship, BJP decided to appease both Bihar and Andhra Pradesh, only at the expense of Kerala’s long-stalled AIIMS dream. This will also raise questions about BJP’s Thrissur MP Suresh Gopi’s big fat promises of turning Thrissur into a developed city within a short time.

Despite the long continuing trend of ignorance towards Kerala, many politicians and analysts, expected the union budget to announce AIIMS for the state, mostly during the fag end of the budget presentation. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had also demanded AIIMS for Kerala, considering the alarming spike in monsoon diseases and Nipah outbreaks.

AIIMS was first promised to Kerala in 2014. In April 2022, the Union Health Ministry recommended the Finance Ministry to grant AIIMS to Kerala, but the project never reached fruition. The union government also ignored the demand to announce a special package of Rs 5,000 crore for the country's historic Vizhinjam port. Any budget specially allocated to the port would have fast-tracked the remaining works in the port, which would have also paved the way for more employment opportunities.

The agriculture sector received a major boost in the budget while the rubber farmers in Kerala suffered disappointment, yet again.