Govt to consider Kerala's demands, Sitharaman tells Pinarayi

BREAKING protocols, Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar joined Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan for an informal meeting with Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman at Delhi's Kerala House on Wednesday to raise the state's pressing demands, including the release of central funds and a special financial package for landslide-hit Wayanad.

- EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE @Kochi

Governor Arlekar's participation assumes significance as he had hosted a dinner for Kerala MPs and Pinarayi on Tuesday evening, where he told the parliamentarians to "stand united" for the cause of the state, sources said.

Going a step further, Arlekar also attended a closed-door meeting where Kerala additional chief secretary Dr A Jayathilak, who is in charge of finance, briefed Sitharaman on the financial distress caused to the state due to the absence of GST compensation and reduced central grants. The meeting was also attended by Pinarayi and K V Thomas, the special representative of the Kerala government in Delhi.