Left Front, DMK to stage protest against Centre in Delhi

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Kerala's Left Front and Tamil Nadu's DMK will stage separate protests in Delhi on Thursday against the BJP-led Centre over alleged neglect and partiality in allocation of funds to their states.

The LDF's protest, to be led by Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, has the support of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin. The Left front ministers, legislators and parliamentarians will take part in the protest that will begin at 11 am on Thursday.

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 alleging that the Union government's actions have weakened cooperative federalism.

The DMK's 'black shirt' demonstration to be led by senior leader T R Baalu will be held near the Gandhi statue in the Parliament complex to protest against the Centre over 'non-allocation' of requisite funds to Tamil Nadu in the interim budget 2024-25. The protest will begin at 10 am.

The DMK accused the saffron party-led dispensation at the Centre of 'partiality' as Tamil Nadu was not appropriately funded to tackle the situation arising out of damage caused by the recent cyclone, rains and flood.

DMK MP and the party's Parliamentary party leader, Baalu, said the MPs from alliance parties, including the Congress have been requested to join them in the national capital.

The DMK said that in the interim budget, there was no announcement on Tamil Nadu's representation seeking relief to the tune of about Rs 37,000 crore following the cyclone, unprecedented rains and flood in December 2023.

"Also, there was no announcement in the interim budget on fund allocation for Tamil Nadu's development projects, including establishment of the AIIMS in Madurai,'' the DMK said.

The Left government in Kerala, which has been blaming the Centre for the state's financial woes, had in its budget attacked the Union government stating that it was pushing the southern state towards the worst financial crisis in its history.

The UDF had declined to take part in the protest by saying it does not agree with the Left narrative blaming the Centre for all of the state's financial problems.

Top Congress leaders from Karnataka, led by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, on Wednesday held a protest in Delhi against the Centre over alleged injustice to the southern state in devolution of taxes, sparking a fierce slugfest between the party and the Narendra Modi government.