Kerala CM Accuses Centre of Neglect, Weakens Federalism

New Delhi, Feb 7 (PTI) The Centre's discrimination against Kerala and the resultant financial crunch has forced the state to resort to the protest path, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said on Wednesday as he asserted that the Union government's actions have weakened cooperative federalism.

As Kerala's ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF) prepares for the protest against the Centre on Thursday, Vijayan also alleged that BJP and NDA-ruled states are getting favourable treatment.

Addressing a press meet in the national capital, Vijayan expresses hope that the protest will get massive support and that many leaders from non-BJP-ruled states are expected to participate in it.

The Centre's discriminatory approach is impacting the state's social welfare efforts, and such practices should stop, Vijayan said.

The situation should not be seen as a divide between the North and the South. It is about getting the rights of the states, Vijayan said against the backdrop of differences among Opposition parties.

Kerala is being neglected in all areas. The discrimination and the financial woes have forced the state to resort to the protest, the chief minister said.

The protest against the Centre's alleged neglect of the state is not to defeat anyone but to get what is rightfully eligible for the state, he said, adding that the Centre has been cutting down funds.

The chief minister also said that he does not understand why the Opposition Congress in Kerala is not supporting the protest.

Amid criticism that the planned protest against the Centre's negligence of Kerala is a political drama, state finance minister K N Balagopal, who was also present at the briefing, refuted the allegation and said that many other states are also raising the issue.

Vijayan also took a swipe at Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan, with whom the state government has been at loggerheads over various issues, including appointments at universities.

"We are seeing a situation of how a governor should not be functioning," Vijayan said.

Vijayan, along with his cabinet colleagues, will stage the protest in the national capital on Thursday.