NEW DELHI: Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Thursday accused the Centre of “continuously attempting to financially strangle” the state, further announcing a satyagraha protest on January 12 against the “economic blockade” .Speaking to the reporters, Vijayan said, “The Central Government is continuously attempting to financially strangle Kerala. Since 2017, the Centre has been implementing cutbacks by including amounts from the Public Account while fixing reductions in the State’s permissible borrowing limit.” “In protest against the Central Government’s economic blockade against Kerala, a satyagraha protest will be organised on January 12 at the Martyrs’ Column in Thiruvananthapuram, with the participation of Ministers, MLAs and MPs. The support of everyone is requested for this protest,” he added. The Kerala CM also criticised the Centre’s foreign policy stance, saying, “Instead of viewing with seriousness the imperialist move that has shocked the human conscience, the central government is displaying an eagerness to trivialize it and to demonstrate subservience to the United States.” “In the statement issued by the Ministry of External Affairs in this regard, even the name of the United States was not mentioned. The central government is unable even to register a protest against the American President, who makes statements every day that insult India and our sovereignty,” he asserted. Referring to recent global developments and the crisis in Venezuela, Vijayan also took a swipe at the Congress, saying that “the party, which claims to be the principal opposition party of the country, is also moving along the same path.””Even while American President Donald Trump is repeatedly threatening India by saying that he will once again raise import tariffs, we have seen the Congress government in Telangana displaying competitive enthusiasm to even construct a road in Trump’s name. No one is surprised by this.” he added.He further remarked, “Only those who once carried out a coup disguised as a so-called ‘liberation struggle’ that was planned by the CIA with American funding can behave in this manner.” “Disregarding the sovereignty of Venezuela, American imperialism has intruded into that country and has even taken the head of that nation into custody. The United States is preparing to overthrow the elected government and to suffocate the people through sanctions and blockades.” he added.Calling the situation alarming, Vijayan said, “Extraordinary incidents are taking place in the world,” referring to the crisis in Venezuela. He further warned that, “what happened in Venezuela today can happen in any other country in the world tomorrow. This is an issue that should cause concern to each and every one of us.”
