Thiruvananthapuram (Keralam) [India], June 24 : Keralam Chief Minister VD Satheesan on Wednesday asserted that his government would strongly oppose the Centre whenever its policies were detrimental to the state's interests or violated the principles of cooperative federalism, but said it would not engage in a "daily battle" with the union government on every issue.
Speaking during the 16th Assembly session, Satheesan defended his government's approach towards Centre-State relations while responding to criticism from the Opposition.
"Is this the first time a Governor has appointed Vice Chancellors of his choice or inducted his own nominees into the Senate? We opposed it and did so strongly. When the Governor convened a special meeting at Raj Bhavan, the Chief Minister's Office sought an explanation. The Governor's Secretary sent a reply, but we found it unsatisfactory and conveyed the government's displeasure, making it clear that such actions were unacceptable," Satheesan said.
The Chief Minister said the government had also opposed the Centre's demand for a 40 per cent state contribution under the V B Ram G scheme, which could impose an additional financial burden of Rs 2,500-3,000 crore on Keralam.
"We have clearly stated that this is a wrong policy. But does a government have to declare war on the Centre the moment it assumes office? That is not our approach. Whenever the Centre acts against the principles of cooperative federalism or adopts policies that are detrimental to the state, we will oppose them. But we are not going to wage a daily battle with the Centre on every issue. If something is wrong, we will point it out. That is our approach, not yours," he said.
Earlier in the Assembly, Satheesan described the state budget as a "futuristic budget" designed after assessing Keralam's strengths, limitations, opportunities and challenges, while also incorporating promises made to the people.
He said the budget marked a departure from traditional approaches followed by previous UDF and LDF governments, arguing that changing global and domestic realities required a fresh policy framework.
Highlighting demographic changes in the state, Satheesan said Keralam's demographic dividend was shrinking as the proportion of young people declined while the elderly population continued to rise.
"The strength of the Keralam model was built around a youthful population, but that demographic dividend is shrinking. The proportion of young people is declining, while the elderly population is increasing significantly. These changes have to be addressed," he said.
The Chief Minister noted that a significant number of young people were moving outside the state and the country, making investments in education, higher education institutions, universities and job creation increasingly important.
"A large section of our youth is moving outside the state and the country. Therefore, we need to focus on education, build quality higher education institutions, create strong universities and generate better jobs. The nature of jobs is changing rapidly. That is why experts have been entrusted with studying each sector and closely monitoring these changes," he said.
Satheesan also stressed that the government would not seek to increase revenue by imposing additional taxes on people. Instead, he said, the administration would focus on sound financial management, plugging revenue leakages and improving tax administration.
The remarks came amid heated exchanges in the Assembly over the PM SHRI school scheme, which prompted Opposition MLAs to stage a walkout after the Speaker disallowed an adjournment motion seeking discussion on the issue.