Kerala: Opposition alleges leakage, boycotts

Thiruvananthapuram: The Opposition on Friday boycotted the budget presentation alleging that it  was leaked and also  demanding  the resignation of Chief Minister Oommen Chandy and other ministers facing bribery allegations.

While  Opposition Leader V.S. Achuthanandan and other LDF leaders alleged that crucial figures of the budget were leaked out by the government ahead of the  presentation, CPM leader and former finance minister Thomas Isaac said that the leaked out figured did not do much harm. “No harm is done, but it should not have come out prior to the budget presentation,” he told reporters.

In a bid to disrupt the budget, the Opposition shouted slogans and raised placards and banners right from the commencement of the presentation by the chief minister at 9 a.m.

As he went ahead reading it  amidst  noisy scenes, the Opposition walked out  around 9.20 a.m. and staged a sit-in  in front of the legislature complex. The Opposition also distributed copies of a table ‘Budget at a  glance,’ which was part of the budget documents, to the ministers while walking out of the House.

Mr. Achuthanandan alleged that the budget was leaked out for the interest of business lobbies. “We don’t want the budget of a government with the chief minister and almost all ministers facing corruption charges. Hence we are boycotting,” he said.