Opposition UDF Labels Kerala Budget “A Political Document Filled With False Promises.”

Thiruvananthapuram: Opposition leader V D Satheesan on Thursday criticised the budget presented by Finance Minister K N Balagopal, labelling it a political document filled with “false promises.”

Speaking at a press conference after the presentation of the budget in assembly, Satheesan said the sanctity of the budget had been ruined by mixing it with politics. “They’ve included in the budget things they failed to accomplish over the past decade, and now they claim they will bring changes in sectors where they’ve done nothing all these years,” he remarked.

The opposition leader said the series of announcements made in the budget ahead of the assembly elections was meant to mislead the people. As of January 2026, plan expenditure was only 38 per cent. With just one month left to spend the remaining funds, not much can be expected, especially when the Assembly elections are set to be declared by March. The 2025-26 period was the worst financial year in terms of plan expenditure, he alleged.

He noted that usually the plan size increases by 15 to 20 percent towards the end of the incumbent government's tenure, but this has not happened this time.

Satheeshan added that Kerala had the highest inflation in the country.