Jaipur, Feb 19 (IANS) Rajasthan Leader of the Opposition (LoP) Tika Ram Jully on Wednesday criticised the state government over the budget, terming it a ‘burden on people’, adding that the government’s financial management has failed which is evident in the budget.
“This budget will only increase Rajasthan’s debt burden. In the previous budget, revenue receipts were projected at Rs 2.65 lakh crore, but the actual revenue collected was only Rs 2.62 lakh crore, despite increased Central government assistance,” he said.
Jully pointed out that for 2024-25, the revenue expenditure target was set at Rs 3,34,796 crore, but only Rs 2,94,557 crore was spent.
“The revenue deficit, initially estimated at Rs 25,758 crore, has surged to nearly Rs 32,000 crore. The fiscal deficit has also exceeded Rs 70,000 crore and is projected to reach Rs 84,643 crore in 2025-26,” he said.
Jully also warned that under the BJP government, Rajasthan’s debt is continuously rising and is expected to surpass Rs 7.25 lakh crore, effectively imposing a debt of Rs 1 lakh per resident.
He also targeted BJP leaders for taking ‘political credit’ and criticised Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma for sidelining the Finance Minister in after budget press conference.
He noted that last year, the Chief Minister did not include the Finance Minister in pre-budget or post-budget discussions. “She was present this time but was not allowed to speak, highlighting the BJP’s focus on taking credit,” he said.
Jully also raised concerns about inflation, stating that the budget lacked measures to tackle rising prices.
He recalled that in 2023-24, the previous government introduced an inflation relief package worth Rs 19,000 crore, whereas this time, inflation was not even mentioned.
He also pointed out that the government had previously announced a five-year action plan with ten resolutions, yet there was no mention of them in this budget.
Jully accused the BJP of failing to deliver on its manifesto promises.
The LoP further said that in the last budget reply, the Chief Minister claimed that 50 per cent of promises had been fulfilled, while the Finance Minister now claims 58 per cent, implying only an 8 per cent improvement in a year.
He also questioned the formation of the Rajasthan Economic Revival Task Force, which was announced in the last budget and created in October 2024 under the Chief Minister’s leadership.
He challenged the government to disclose whether a single meeting of the task force had been held since its formation, calling it further evidence of the BJP’s poor financial management.
–IANS
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