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BJP Kerala President Rajeev Chandrasekhar hailed the Union Budget 2026-27 as "full of substance" while lashing out at the "completely incompetent" Left and the previous Congress governments in the State, which he said were not interested in implementing the opportunities provided to them in the previous Budgets.
Chandrasekhar said the current Budget will not be bogged down by the "consequences of high inflation and joblessness" that he said the Congress party was known for. "... It will create investor confidence and continue the path that India is on," Chandrasekhar said. The former Union Minister, accompanied by Thiruvananthapuram Mayor, councillors, and other BJP functionaries, watched the Union Budget live at the party's state office, Mararji Bhavan. The BJP leader dismissed allegations by Congress and Left that the State did not receive anything substantial pointing out that Kerala has not implemented projects announced in previous Union Budgets. "People of Kerala know that for true growth and true employment opportunity, the people of Kerala know that only a double engine government working with the Narendra Modi government can really create the opportunities in the State, he said. Chandrashekar said, "I'm very happy with the budget because this is a budget that is a continuation of the last 11 years. The last 11 years of economic policymaking by Prime Minister Narendra Modi have made us the fourth-largest and fastest-growing economy in the world..." "This is certainly an economy for 'Viksit Bharat'... it identifies many areas that will be key to the future global economy... Rare earth is one thing where Kerala will benefit, and then directly benefit. There are many other areas, including high-precision strategic manufacturing, electronics manufacturing, legacy manufacturing, artificial intelligence, semiconductors, and tourism, all of which are focused on the budget. All of those are areas that Kerala can look forward to." The BJP Kerala chief pointed out that for the State to benefit from the Union Budget, "you need a government in Kerala that is capable of seizing these opportunities." "Frankly, with great respect to the current government and the past Congress government, they are completely incompetent and not capable of, or not interested in, pursuing these opportunities," Chandrasekhar said. "So I think it is a sound budget. It may not have the bells and whistles of the budgets the Congress party used to announce, but it will not have the consequences of high inflation and joblessness the Congress was known for... It will create investor confidence and continue the path that India is on," he said. Kerala Finance Minister K N Balagopal today said that budget was disappointing for Kerala in an election year, as the State had been expecting significant announcements like an AIIMS and high-speed rail corridors. He also expressed disappointment at the Centre's denial of a special package for Kerala, including an industrial corridor for the State despite the commissioning of the Vizhinjam Port. "The Union Budget gives a picture which is not very positive for the indian economy." "We have very serious concerns about the attitude of the Union Government about Kerala," he said. In his response BJP leader criticised Balagopal stating "What else will he say? He's the finance minister of a state that is bankrupt, which has the highest inflation in the country, the highest unemployment in the country and one which survives on borrowing. " "He's the finance minister of a state where 92 percent of all the state revenues go for debt service, interest and pensions. What else will he say?, "Chandrasekhar said The BJP leader futher said that Kerala will get AIIMS, a high speed rail, and infrastructure projects when Kerala's economy is in a position to invest in these projects. "Kerala today is in not even in a situation to give its part, its share of the money for drinking water programs. Six thousand crores of drinking water contractors have still not been paid. Kerala is not able to give its share in the PM Awas Yojana for building homes for the poor and has not allowed PM Ayushman to be implemented where free life insurance is given for people over 70 because the state government does not have money to contribute as part of its share." Congress MP Shashi Tharoor said that the announcement of seven new High-Speed Rail Corridors across India is welcome for the nation, but "the glaring exclusion of Kerala is indefensible." "We are a high-density state crying out for modern transit. The Centre ignores us, and the State proposes paper projects it cannot afford. Our commuters are left with nothing. We need actual trains, not new acronyms," Tharoor said in a post on X. Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said the Union Budget presented clearly exposes the Centre's continued discrimination and neglect towards Kerala. "Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has wilfully ignored the fact that Kerala, too, is part of India's map. Key demands long raised by the state, AIIMS, seven high-speed rail corridors, and a special package for the development of Vizhinjam Port have all been completely rejected. The refusal to increase the Finance Commission's devolution share and the decision to continue the existing 41% allocation is an action that weakens federal principles. Union Ministers from Kerala must answer for this neglect," Vijayan said in a statement. Kerala industries minister P Rajeeve said that in the Kerala State Budget they had "declared for a new rapid transport system." He criticised the Centre for not heeding Kerala's proposal for a high-speed rail connectivity. "And while asking while replying to the media queries at Thiruvananthapuram, I have specifically mentioned that we have no idea about the new high-speed rail connectivity. We didn't get any response or any information from the Union government. And we are waiting for the declarations in the Union Budget. Now, they have declared seven high-speed rail corridors, but not considered the state of Kerala. And also, the AIIMS, a long-pending demand of the state of Kerala, it is not considered by the Finance Ministry in this budget also. And we are demanding for 50% share of the total tax pool to the state government, who are most responsible for the implementation of the welfare and other activities. That is not being considered by the Union government," Rajeev said. The state minister also criticised the proposed establishment of dedicated rare earth mineral corridors in Kerala and three other states. "Now, they have declared for a mineral corridor. The state government itself has declared a mineral corridor at Kollam, that is the best place of the minerals. Now, the Union government is trying to take over the rights of the states with regard to the minerals." BJP leader and former Union Minister V Muraleedharan said, This budget is aimed at the creation of 'Viksit Bharat.' So, the focus is on youth and on various efforts that will benefit them. New technologies, including AI, have been given a lot of focus. There are schemes which will benefit by cutting across state borders... Ayurveda has been given a lot of focus in this budget. Ayurveda will definitely benefit Kerala... A particular state's name isn't mentioned every minute, but that doesn't mean the state doesn't get its due. The central budget is for the whole country; it's for the development of the whole nation and for every section of society, and Kerala will definitely benefit from that..." The Budget announced the establishment of three new All India Institutes of Ayurveda (AIIA) to strengthen education, research and clinical excellence in traditional medicine. These national level institutions will expand training capacity for medical and allied health professionals and are expected to support the government's goal of developing a skilled workforce aligned to integrative healthcare models. (ANI)
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