Kerala Budget: New Budget has a long wish list but not enough money allocated to make it a reality, says Thomas Isaac

The only guarantee that the budget presented by Chief Minister VD Satheesan is to stop development, said Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI(M)) Central Committee member and former Finance Minister TM Thomas Isaac. He told a press conference here that the budget has a long wish list but not enough money has been allocated to make it a reality.

“Much of the budget is filled with token subsidy money. Big projects have insufficient allocations. The Oommen Chandy insurance scheme with a pledge of ₹ 25 crore will get a total of ₹ 10 crore, while the allocation for the two new medical colleges is just ₹ 100 crore,” he said.

He said Mr. Satheesan, who has spoken at length about resource mobilization in his podcasts, has no such measures in the budget. The Left Democratic Front (LDF) government created a horti-wine category with lower taxes to support small farmers. The budget has now expanded this category to include liquor companies as well, says Dr. Isaac.

He also refuted Mr. Satheesan’s claim that the LDF had reduced the allocations for SC-ST categories. As for the Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board (KIIFB), he accused the chief minister of trying to destroy the credibility of the financial institution that implements projects worth ₹1 lakh crore across Kerala.

Published – 20 Jun 2026 0:40 AM IST