Kerala Leader of the Opposition Pinarayi Vijayan
| Photo Credit: Nirmal Harindran
Kerala’s Leader of the Opposition Pinarayi Vijayan strongly criticised the revised Budget presented by the United Democratic Front (UDF) government on Friday, alleging that it “rebranded” several announcements made by the previous Left Democratic Front (LDF) government, while advancing a pro-privatisation agenda and sidelining welfare commitments.Addressing a press conference, Mr. Vijayan said the Budget was “largely a renaming exercise” of previously announced schemes without any substantive new direction. He also cautioned that Kerala’s recent development trajectory, built on strong public planning and social welfare foundations, could be undermined by policy shifts that purportedly favours corporate interests and private capital.Mr. Vijayan claimed that the Budget failed to reflect widespread concerns related to poverty eradication and did not include concrete steps to address the State’s acclaimed progress in extreme poverty reduction.He also alleged that the Budget would serve as an accelerated push toward privatisation in key sectors, including coastal development, fisheries, mineral corridors and logistics infrastructure. Such proposals also seem to align with the Centre’s policies that favour private players over public-sector-led development, the CPI(M) veteran charged.According to him, initiatives such as the proposed maritime policies and the critical mineral corridor plans would disproportionately benefit large corporations while weakening state control over strategic resources.He also warned that the proposed changes in land management policies could dilute Kerala’s land reform legacy, and alleged that such efforts were meant to reshape long-standing legal protections that formed the backbone of Kerala’s social development model.The Opposition Leader was also critical of the proposed restructuring of the State Planning Board. He alleged that it would be transformed into a think tank modelled on the NITI Aayog framework, and asserted that the move marked a departure from Kerala’s Nehruvian planning tradition and could weaken long-term development planning.On KIIFBHe claimed that the Budget’s approach would weaken flagship infrastructure initiatives such as the Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board (KIIFB), warning that the policy direction could reduce its effectiveness and autonomy in financing large public projects.Mr. Vijayan slammed the perceived sidelining of welfare-oriented programmes, including the LIFE Mission housing scheme. He also questioned proposals made for the healthcare sector, while alleging that it could open the domain to private corporate players. The move might also strengthen the influence of large private hospital chains and international investment firms in Kerala’s healthcare system.The former Chief Minister also alleged that the government could be considering large-scale production of low-strength alcohol by private companies. This contradicted the previous LDF government’s move to promote the use of agricultural produce such as grains for producing alcohol in small-scale industries. While the move would have supported farmers and promoted small-scale industries, the revised Budget appears to prioritise corporate interests, he said. Published - June 19, 2026 01:56 pm IST
