Thiruvananthapuram : Kerala’s long pending demand for setting up of All India Institute of Medical Science (AIIMS) and an intervention in the rubber prices, a demand that has been raised by rubber farmers of the state at various forums has been clearly missing in the union budget speech of Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman. Both the ruling LDF and the opposition Congress has criticised the centre for side-lining the two important demands that has been one of the core segment which the BJP has been focussing in Kerala.
However the BJP leaders have defended the budget stating that the union budget has given enough opportunities for jobs for the youths in the country. While reacting to questions on AIIMS, the union minister Suresh Gopi said that the state government has not provided the adequate land required for the construction of AIMS facility.
The war of words between the Left, Congress and the BJP has taken a political churn with organizations affiliated to the left parties holding protest against the union government for allegedly side-lining Kerala. The AIYF, the youth wing of the CPI has held a protest in front of the AG office in the capital city of the state against the union budget alleging that the budget has neglected the state and has not considered any of the demands of the state government.
“The union budget has provided enough room for employment opportunities for the youth. It has been a wholistic budget that cares for the common man and the middle class as a whole”, said Suresh Gopi MP after he met the media at his residence in Thiruvananthapuram.
Meantime, there was a widespread perception that a decision on setting up of AIIMS will find a mention in the budget.
“Kerala is grappling with a number of viruses and fever cases during the monsoon and it has become a yearly phenomenon. The state had always been in the fore front when it comes to disease control. The primary health system in the state has been in par with the international standards. The union budget should had a mention about AIIMS. However, it did not happen is highly unfortunate”, said Dr Suresh, senior physician at a private hospital in Kozhikode.
Raising the prices of natural rubber was a long pending demand for the farmers groups in Kerala. The matter was also taken by various Christian groups when they met the Prime Minister in New Delhi months before the 2024 elections. However, no mention about the prices has created discontentment among the farmers.
“When the government has allocated largely for the agricultural sector as a whole, rubber farmers were again neglected”, said Divakaran, secretary of farmers group in Kasaragod.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and senior Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala who felt that the budget is a betrayal towards the people of Kerala stated that not mentioning about AIIMS was a major set back for the state.
“AIIMS was a long pending demand of the state. It did not find any mention in the state. Also, the state did not find any mention in the tourism map nor any fund allocation when it comes to natural disasters. We will take up the matter with the center and discuss it going forward”, said Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan
Setting up of the premiere medical institute, the AIIMS was first promised to the state in 2014. The union health ministry had recommended the finance ministry to consider fund allocation for AIIMS in 2022, however the request did not materialize. The demand for AIIMS was further aggravated in 2024 Loksabha poll campaign when one of the poll promise of the BJP in Kerala was about establishment of AIIMS. The other important allocation was the Rs 5000 crore financial package towards the Vizhinjam project that could accentuate the further construction works of the international seaport that will subsequently lead to employment opportunities for youths in the state.
Both the ruling LDF and the opposition Congress has criticised the centre for side-lining the two important demands that has been one of the core segment which the BJP has been focussing in Kerala.
However the BJP leaders have defended the budget stating that the union budget has given enough opportunities for jobs for the youths in the country. Kerala States News India: Top News India, States News, States News Headlines, Online State News India, State Politics news
