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Kerala govt facing 'harsh discriminatory' approach from BJP-led Centre: CPI

New Delhi: The CPI(M) on Thursday alleged that the Left-ruled Kerala government in the state was facing "harsh discriminatory" approach from the BJP-led dispensation at the Centre.

An editorial in the forthcoming edition of party mouthpiece Peoples Democracy has said that because of this "prejudiced" attitude of the Centre, Kerala is experiencing a serious financial crisis.

"The Modi government seems determined to thwart the LDF government's development agenda by strangulating its finances," it said.

The editorial said the Centre has all the powers to raise resources while the states are required to undertake development and social welfare expenditure that far exceed their revenue generating capacities.

"While this is a common problem for all states, Kerala is being singled out for exceptional treatment by denying it its due share of taxes and resources," it alleged.

Citing examples, the editorial said the central government has reduced the amount of funds that can be borrowed by Kerala in the last quarter of 2019-2020.

As per the budgetary allocation, the loan should have been Rs 10,233 crore. But only Rs 1,900 crore has been sanctioned. Instead of the Rs 19,500 crore received as borrowing in the last fiscal, it will just be Rs 16,602 this year, it said.

In the place of the Rs 3,200 crore loan received in the last quarter of 2018-19, Kerala will get only Rs 1,920 in the last quarter of 2019-20, it added.

The CPI(M) also alleged that there is constant delay in receipt of GST compensation, and the state also did not receive flood compensation given to seven other states despite facing floods in August 2019.

"An additional central assistance of Rs 5,908.56 crore was granted to seven states from the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF) for damages during the southwest monsoon in 2019, but not Kerala.

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