Thiruvananthapuram: Former Finance Minister K N Balagopal on Monday demanded that Chief Minister V D Satheesan and the ruling United Democratic Front (UDF) apologise for what he described as misleading the public about Kerala's financial condition.

In a statement, the CPM leader said the Accountant General's (AG) first-quarter figures for the 2026-27 financial year showed strong revenue growth, contradicting the claims made by the UDF in its white paper on the state's finances.

Balagopal said the figures for April, May and June reflected the impact of the fiscal policies and administrative measures implemented by the previous LDF government, as the UDF assumed office only towards the end of May. He claimed the revenue performance amounted to an endorsement of the LDF government's economic policies.

According to Balagopal, the state's revenue receipts touched ₹33,311 crore during the first three months of the financial year, of which ₹28,060 crore came from tax revenue. He attributed the growth to structural reforms introduced in the GST department and technology-driven measures taken by the previous government to curb tax evasion.

The former finance minister also said capital expenditure on infrastructure development doubled from the corresponding period last year to ₹7,179 crore, while investments in sectors such as health and education had already exceeded their annual targets. He added that the increase in revenue had helped reduce the state's revenue deficit to ₹13,209 crore.

Balagopal said the AG's figures disproved the UDF's argument that weak revenue growth would require cuts in infrastructure spending, welfare schemes and social security pensions. He asserted that the first-quarter performance showed the state's development and welfare programmes could continue without being constrained by a lack of funds.

He further claimed that the figures validated the revenue projections made in the LDF government's Budget presented in January 2026 and accused the UDF of making "baseless" claims about the state's financial position in its white paper.