Chandy presents Kerala budget despite opposition

Thiruvananthapuram, Feb 12 Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy on Friday despite opposition presented the state's budget after a period of 22 years.

He last prsented the state budget in 1994.

When Speaker N. Sakthan called Chandy to present the budget, members of the Left opposition in the assembly raised placards and banners highlighting the bar and solar scams in Kerala to criticise the government.

Fifteen minutes into his budget presentation, the Left opposition distributed copies of what they claimed were relevant budget documents and said the sanctity of the whole budget was lost as it was leaked before being presented.

The Left opposition members also met at the office of Leader of Opposition V.S. Achuthanandan to decide on how to go about their protest in the aftermath of the severe backlash they received when then finance minister K.M. Mani presented his budget last year.

Opposition members last year threw the speaker's chair and damaged furniture in the house, saying they would not allow a "corrupt Mani" to present the budget.

Mani resigned as the finance minister in the wake of allegations that he demanded and took a bribe for reopening the bars in the state after these were forced to close under the new liquor policy.