Chandy terms Kerala budget a "budget of concealed facts"

Thiruvananthapuram, June 23 (UNI) Leader of the Opposition in the Kerala Assembly Oommen Chandy today termed the revised budget for 2006-07 presented by Finance Minister T M Thomas Isacc as 'a budget of concealed facts.' Reacting to the budget, he told a press conference that many of the proposals had no clarity and were presented without disclosing the real facts.

If there was any lapse on the part of the previous Congress-led United Democrataic Front (UDF) Government, the Finance Minister should disclose it openly, Mr Chandy said.

He urged the government to come out with a 'white paper' on the state's financial condition.

Welcoming the proposal for increasing private and foreign investments, the former Chief Minister said the move was good.

Though the Left Democratic Front (LDF) had organised agitations against such investments while it was in the Opposition, it had changed its stand now, he added Kerala Congress (M) leader K M Mani said the budget had no 'sanctity'.

On the proposal to collect cess from rubber plantations after three months, he said the move was a wrong policy and would have serious consequences.

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