Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Monday led a “satyagraha” against the BJP-led Centre, accusing it of “financial discrimination and political vengeance”.

Addressing a gathering at the daylong protest in front of the Martyrs’ Memorial at Palayam in Thiruvananthapuram, Vijayan said Kerala was being denied its rightful financial allocations. He said the allocation from the Finance Commission was not an act of charity, but a constitutionally guaranteed right of every state.

He said the state was being forced into an “extraordinary struggle” to protect its constitutionally guaranteed rights and urged everyone to stand united to ensure that Kerala received its dues.

“Our state is in the midst of a struggle. This is a struggle for the survival of this land and its people. Believing that all authority rests in their hands, the rulers at the Centre are arbitrarily usurping our rights,” Vijayan said.

“They have a clear blueprint on how to destroy a state that has been making strides in various sectors. Those with vested interests have spread false propaganda that
Kerala has been extravagant. But the CAG report proves that these allegations are false,” he said.