Kerala Assembly: Governor’s policy address appears to signal shift in Raj Bhavan-government dynamics

Kerala Governor Rajendran Vishwanath Arlekar's optimistic policy address signals a new dynamic in government relationship, focusing on development.

Kerala Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar’s policy address, which marked the opening of the Budget session of the Kerala Legislative Assembly on Friday (January 17, 2025), appeared to signal an arguably different dynamic in the Raj Bhavan-Left Democratic Front (LDF) government relationship.

Notably, Mr. Arlekar expressed the government’s concern about experiencing “liquidity stress due to declining share of Union fiscal transfer and tapering of revenue deficit grants and cessation of GST compensation” without any apparent disquiet or frustration.

The Governor also stuck to the script and read the policy statement, striking an officially punctilious manner and tone.

Mr. Arlekar also struck an optimistic tone concerning the State’s finances. He noted that the government had highlighted the fiscal problems plaguing the State when the 16th Finance Commission visited Kerala and requested “ameliorative measures” from the Centre. “We hope for the best”, Mr. Arlekar stated.

On its part, the State government had kept the policy address largely devoid of politics and contentious questions about fiscal federalism and alleged jurisdictional overreach of the Central government.

It seemed not lost the ruling coalition that the former Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan had kept the government on tenterhooks by objecting to some portions of draft policy addresses, including debatable reflections about the State of federalism. 

In contrast, Mr. Arlekar reiterated that the government was “fully committed to upholding the constitutional values of democracy, secularism, socialism, and federalism.”