Union Budget 2026-27: Centre must fulfil promises to Kerala, including AIIMS, says Tharoor

Tharoor urges the Centre to honor budget commitments to Kerala, including AIIMS, while addressing unemployment and coastal erosion.

Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Saturday (January 31, 2026) said he hoped the Centre would fulfil its promises to Kerala, including the establishment of an AIIMS, in the Union Budget, and stressed the need to tackle coastal erosion on a "war footing".

Mr. Tharoor said that while the loss of even an inch of land to a foreign country such as China triggers discussions on "war" and "threats to national security", the large-scale erosion of coastal areas—referred to as parts of "Bharat Mata"—caused by the sea does not receive similar attention.

He said he had been raising the issue of coastal erosion in Parliament and with the Prime Minister for several years.

"The central government says it is the responsibility of the state, while the state government says it does not have the funds," Mr. Tharoor told reporters, expressing hope that the union budget would address the issue.

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The Congress MP from Thiruvananthapuram also said unemployment was another major concern facing the country and hoped the budget would include measures to tackle it.