Kerala has opened a new front of mass resistance against the central government’s retaliatory measures. Following a protest led by the chief minister and his cabinet colleagues in Delhi, and the ongoing legal battle in the Supreme Court, a satyagraha was held under the leadership of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan in front of the martyrs’ column in Palayam, Thiruvananthapuram. This protest turned into a clarion call against the Centre’s attempts to destroy Kerala and its economic blockade.

Thousands gathered to support the satyagraha led by the chief minister, ministers, MLAs, MPs, other people’s representatives, and Left Democratic Front (LDF) leaders. From 10 AM, when the protest began, various organisations, LDF constituent parties, supporting parties, and mass organisations arrived at the venue to offer their solidarity.

Despite the Centre’s severe neglect, the state government has been moving forward with welfare and development projects by presenting a people-centric alternative. However, the central government is making tireless efforts to obstruct this. The Centre’s vendetta involves withholding eligible funds, cutting grants, slashing borrowing limits, and shifting the entire burden of the employment guarantee scheme onto the state. Most recently, a massive cut was implemented in the funds due to Kerala for the period from January to March. It is in this context that the satyagraha was organised.

The chief minister inaugurated the protest. He stated that Kerala will neither shatter nor tire in the face of the central government’s deliberate actions intended to stall the state’s progress. Revenue Minister K Rajan presided over the event. LDF leaders M V  Govindan, Binoy Viswam, T P Ramakrishnan, Mathew T Thomas, A P Abdul Vahab, Thomas K Thomas, Binoy Joseph, Varghese George, Kasim Irikkur, and ministers K N Balagopal, Roshy Augustine, Ramachandran Kadannappalli, A K Saseendran, K B  Ganesh Kumar, along with MPs John Brittas, P Santhosh Kumar, and MLA K K Shailaja, addressed the gathering.

What Kerala asks for is not charity but constitutional right: Vijayan

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan stated that the share Kerala is entitled to receive is not anyone’s charity, but a constitutional right. He noted that the central government has adopted a deliberate stance to ensure Kerala does not progress. Kerala is not demanding anything undeserved; the demand is simply that what is rightfully ours must not be denied. The chief minister urged everyone who cares for Kerala to stand together and raise their voices for this cause.

However, he remarked that certain sections are unwilling to do so. While inaugurating the satyagraha protest against central neglect, the chief minister said that the opposition is driven by a mindset that the state should not progress while the LDF is in power.

He emphasised that snatching away constitutionally guaranteed rights is not something that should happen in a democratic nation. Yet, the central government — pretending its powers are absolute — is discriminately usurping Kerala’s rights. More than half of the share due to the state from January to March was cut. This is not just an attack on the government or the LDF, it is aimed at the entirety of Kerala.

“Planning should be used to lead a land towards progress and welfare. Here, the Centre is planning how to destroy the land in every possible way,” the chief minister said. He added that the Centre has an aversion to welfare schemes and has repeatedly questioned why such benefits are being provided. He noted that the Centre’s latest provocation was Kerala’s decision to increase welfare benefits. “That is why they are stabbing us in the back. The Congress in Kerala is collaborating with them in this. Amit Shah’s dreams are not going to work in Kerala. Therefore, they should come down from their dream world and stop these wrongful moves,” the chief minister said.