Kochi: Going on a defensive mode, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan hosted a breakfast meeting with Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitaraman at New Delhi on Wednesday to discuss financial issues facing the state.
After failing to make any impact through his frequent jibes against the BJP-led central government, Vijayan seems to have realised the need to go soft on the centre rather than confront it.
After losing a legal battle with the Centre on the issue of seeking to lift restrictions on borrowing loan at the Supreme Court, the financially weak state appears to have pleaded with Sitaraman to extend greater support to Kerala in implementing the Wayanad rehabilitation package and more involvement in Vizhinjam port operations among others.
Pinarayi met Sitaraman at Kerala House where the Union Minister turned up at the invitation of the Chief Minister with whom she had breakfast.
Kerala Governor Rajendra Arlekar, K V Thomas, LDF government representative in Delhi, were among those present.
Kerala wants the center to relax the deadline of March 31 to avail of centre’s support on implementing Wayanad package.
There was no information whether they discussed issues of Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHA) workers who are on a strike in Thiruvananthapuram serking better wages and perks.
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