Thiruvananthapuram: Weeks after the setback in the local body polls, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan led a one-day ‘Satyagraha’ here Monday against the BJP-led Centre’s alleged bias against the state, and claimed the Union government was “stalling” the state’s progress, and the welfare of its people by putting financial constraints.
The protest also assumes significance as it comes just months before the assembly polls. The CPI (M)-led Left front also attacked the Congress for not joining the Left Democratic Front (LDF) government in demanding central funds for the state.
The Satyagraha held at the Martyrs’ Column in Thiruvananthapuram was joined by cabinet ministers, ruling alliance MLAs and leaders.
In his speech, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan claimed the BJP-led Centre was strangulating Kerala by denying its rightful shares in central schemes and limiting borrowings.
He claimed the Centre slashed by Rs 5,900 crore the state’s eligible borrowing limit for the last three months (January–March) of the financial year without any justification. Similarly, the state is yet to get Rs 5,783.69 crore of its share in various central schemes, including Rs 636.88 crore in the National Health Mission, Rs 750.93 crore in UGC benefits, and Rs 1,206.69 crore for paddy procurement, he added.
State Finance Minister K.N Balagopal had said in December last year that the state’s borrowing limit was slashed from the initially approved Rs 12,515 crore for the January to March quarter.
At the Satyagrah, CM Vijayan said, “The Central Government is looking at how, in every possible way, Kerala can be financially squeezed. We can’t say that it’s aiming at the state or the LDF government. But it affects all the people here.”
In an X post later, he said, “We have suffered a total revenue loss of Rs. 57,000 crores due to the Union Government’s financial discrimination against us. We are merely demanding what is rightfully owed to us, not any handout from the Union Government.”
While speaking at the Satyagraha, Vijayahn also targeted the Congress, saying it ruled Kerala till 2016, but now that it’s in opposition, it is not joining the protest against the Centre as it too wants to halt the state’s progress.
“The Congress, the UDF and their MPs in Parliament support the Centre’s decisions and are also blaming the state. It is an unfortunate stand. That is why we decided to do a protest like this. It is a protest for the survival of our state and its people,” the chief minister said.
Today, the people of Kerala protested against the Union Government's attack on federalism and the financial neglect towards our state, through a Satyagraha at the Martyrs Column in Thiruvananthapuram. Kerala’s share in tax devolution, grants and scheme funds have been reduced.… pic.twitter.com/plxmHooE0t
— Pinarayi Vijayan (@pinarayivijayan) January 12, 2026
The Congress hit back against the LDF, while the BJP accused the state government and Chief Minister Vijayan of playing victim.
Leader of Opposition and Congress leader V.D. Satheesan dismissed the protest as a smokescreen to hide what he called an “understanding” between BJP and CPI(M. “The CPI(M) and the BJP have a political relationship. The BJP, which opposes the Congress, is helping the CPI(M),” Satheesan said.
‘Govt won’t back off’
The protest is also being linked to polls in the state—the local body polls held in December in which the LDF performed poorly, and the upcoming assembly elections in which the alliance seeks to retain power.
In the local polls, the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) won 504 gram panchayats, 79 block panchayats, seven district panchayats and 54 municipalities, while the LDF got only 340 gram panchayats, 64 block panchayats, seven district panchayats, 28 municipalities and one corporation.
With elections for the 140 Assembly months away, the ruling front has also rolled out a door-to-door outreach campaign named ‘Nava Kerala Survey’ for citizens’ feedback on the government’s performance and seek their suggestions for improvement.
Revenue Minister K. Rajan said at the Satyagrah that Chief Minister Vijayan as well as Finance Minister K.N. Balagopal made multiple visits to New Delhi to seek Central government funds, but in vain.
The Centre was trying to halt welfare measures implemented by the state, he claimed.
Just ahead of the local body polls, the LDF government announced a Rs 400 increase in monthly pension, and introduced a new scheme providing Rs 1,000 per month to women from families holding AAY (Antyodaya Anna Yojana—yellow card) or PHH (Priority Household—pink card) ration cards, as well as to trans women aged 35–60 who are not beneficiaries of any other social welfare pension.
Revenue Minister Rajan claimed that more than Rs 2,000 crore had been spent on welfare measures in December alone, and that the Central government’s effort was to stop these measures.
“In order to halt those measures in a poll-bound state, a political decision to stop the state’s natural rights to borrow money is dangerous. The Kerala government, with the chief minister himself, began this protest to say that,” Rajan said.
Rajan stated that the Reserve Bank and international financial agencies have noted that Kerala’s financial management is among the best in the country, with the state’s per capita income and revenue being high.
They have also noted that the state successfully curbed the rise in public debt, he said.
The minister said that to ensure disbursal of pension despite the “constraints”, a State Pension Board fund was formed, but the Centre included the board’s borrowing too to compute the state’s borrowing limits. He also alleged that the Central government, even after repeated requests, declined assistance for the victims of the 2024 Wayanad landslide victims
“However much the Central government tries to strangle the state government, the Kerala government will not back off without rehabilitating every single victim in Wayanad,” he said.
Kerala BJP chief Rajeev Chandrasekhar rejected the LDF’s charges against the Centre, claiming the state government and the chief minister are trying to play victim.
He alleged that the state’s debt increased threefold, while the ruling party and the Congress “looted” the Sabarimala temple. “Thus, after a decade of administrative failure, the chief minister is now trying to escape by blaming communalism. But, the results of the last local body elections prove that Malayalis no longer trust these.”
(Edited by Ajeet Tiwari)
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