NEW DELHI: Union Minister George Kurian has reversed his previous stance on the issue of central share. George Kurian said that if Kerala wants to get more central share, the state government should approach the Finance Commission. Earlier, when asked about the neglect of Kerala in the central budget, George Kurian said that more assistance could be provided if Kerala is declared a backward state. The Union Minister of State has now taken a stand that completely swallows this statement.

'The central share that Kerala currently receives is 1.9 percent. The Kerala government is demanding that this be increased. For this to be implemented, the government should approach the Finance Commission. They have their own conditions for this. A report is prepared regarding the issue of allocating more shares based on this. The central government will take further action based on that. The Kerala government is demanding more debt from the centre. This debt is not used for development. Rather, it is for paying salaries to state government employees. It was in this context that I said that Kerala was in a very bad state in terms of economic utilisation,' explained George Kurian. Left MPs protested outside Parliament today against George Kurian's statement the previous day.