NEW DELHI: The central government has severely criticized the state for questioning the restrictions imposed on borrowing limit. The strong rebuttal came inside the Supreme Court as Attorney General R. Venkataramani stated the Kerala government is trying to hide its gross failure in handling financial issues.

The Attorney General asked the court to not consider Kerala’s petition in haste as he said it was not anything that demanded urgent attention. Senior advocate Kapil Sibal appeared for the state. The Attorney General also opposed Kerala's demand to stay two letters from the Finance Ministry that are pushing the state to debt. These letters were issued on 27 March and 11 August 2023.

With this, the bench chaired by Justice Surya Kant gave time to the central government to submit a written objection. On February 13, Kerala's demands including stay will be heard.

According to the central government

1. Complaint only for Kerala. Other states have no problem

2. Kerala's original suit will not survive

4. Central Budget is not a concerning matter in any of the petitions filed by Kerala.

Kerala's argument

1. Financial constraints and budget situation should be considered

2. Court decision should be made speedy

3. Not just Kerala. Many states have problems with central government

4. The regulation will also affect the payment of pension