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‘Is Kerala not on India’s map?’: Pinarayi Vijayan slams Budget 2026 as key state demands vanish

Slamming the Union Budget, Vijayan said Union Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has deliberately forgotten the fact that Kerala, too, is “on India’s map”.

2 min readThiruvananthapuramUpdated: Feb 1, 2026 08:35 PM IST

Slamming the Union Budget, Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan said Union Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has deliberately forgotten the fact that Kerala, too, is “on India’s map”. (Source: Express Archives)

The Union Budget for 2026–27, presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, did not consider the longstanding demands of Kerala, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said.

Slamming the Union Budget, Vijayan said Union Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has deliberately forgotten the fact that Kerala, too, is “on India’s map”.

“Long-standing demands of the state such as an AIIMS, high-speed corridors for railway development, and a special package for the development of the Vizhinjam port, have all been completely ignored,” he said.

While the BJP is hard-selling the slogan of “Vikasit Kerala under the Modi government” ahead of the Assembly elections, the state had expected major standalone projects to figure in the Budget. One key pending demand is an AIIMS, for which Kerala has already identified land in Kozhikode district.

A dedicated railway corridor has also been high on the state’s agenda, but found no mention, despite the Budget announcing seven such corridors. The state government had also sought a package for the second phase of the Vizhinjam seaport project. Although the finance minister announced three All India Institutes of Ayurveda, Kerala—despite its long tradition in this medicinal stream—did not figure in the proposal.

At the same time, the Budget proposed establishing a rare earth corridor connecting Kerala with other southern states. Last week, the Kerala government had announced plans for a similar corridor within the state, linking rare earth-rich southern coastal areas. The finance minister also proposed developing turtle trails along key nesting sites in the coastal regions of Odisha, Karnataka and Kerala.

However, BJP state president Rajeev Chandrasekhar blamed the state government for failing to implement projects previously granted by the Centre. “Has Kerala implemented the projects given by the Centre. NDA has to come to power in Kerala to implement new projects. We are ready for a debate on development, and who works for the state and its people,” he said.

Shaju Philip

Shaju Philip is a Senior Assistant Editor at The Indian Express, where he leads the publication's coverage from Kerala. With over 25 years of experience in mainstream journalism, he is one of the most authoritative voices on the socio-political, religious, and developmental landscape of South India. Expertise, Experience, and Authority Decades of Regional Specialization: Shaju has spent more than two decades documenting the "Kerala Model" of development, its complex communal dynamics, and its high-stakes political environment. Key Coverage Beats: His extensive reporting portfolio includes: Political & Governance Analysis: In-depth tracking of the LDF and UDF coalitions, the growth of the BJP in the state, and the intricate workings of the Kerala administration. Crime & Investigative Journalism: Noted for his coverage of high-profile cases such as the gold smuggling probe, political killings, and the state’s counter-terrorism efforts regarding radicalization modules. Crisis Management: He has led ground-level reporting during major regional crises, including the devastating 2018 floods, the Nipah virus outbreaks, and the Covid-19 pandemic response. ... Read More

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