Vijayendra claims K’taka govt prioritising borrowing over development in Budget debate
Bengaluru, March 12 (IANS) BJP State President and MLA B.Y. Vijayendra on Thursday criticised the Karnataka government over the State Budget for 2026–27, alleging that the government’s only achievement has been increasing borrowing while failing to ensure overall development of the state.
Participating in the discussion on the State Budget in the Assembly, Vijayendra said that while the government claims to prioritise development, the budget allocations do not reflect substantial progress.
He pointed out that the Water Resources Department had been allocated Rs 22,190 crore in 2025–26, while the allocation for 2026–27 stands at Rs 22,430 crore.
“This increase is only nominal,” he said.
According to him, out of the total allocation, around Rs 8,500 crore would be spent on salaries and about Rs 4,400 crore on interest payments. As a result, only Rs 9,290 crore would remain for capital investment towards development works.
Vijayendra said that projects initiated during the previous BJP government and currently 70 to 80 per cent complete require nearly Rs 90,000 crore to be finished. If the release of funds is delayed, the project cost could escalate to around Rs 1.25 lakh crore, he warned.
However, the present capital allocation stands at only Rs 9,290 crore, which he said raises concerns about the completion of those works.
He also noted that the state’s revenue expenditure has increased significantly from Rs 2,15,584 crore in 2022–23 to Rs 3,38,007 crore in 2026–27. The government, he alleged, is borrowing heavily but not utilising the funds effectively for development.
Criticising the government over appointments with Cabinet rank, Vijayendra said that although there are around 139 MLAs in the ruling party, many individuals are being given Cabinet-level status.
He said Cabinet rank has been extended to state-level and district-level chairpersons of the government’s guarantee schemes.
In total, around 144 individuals have been granted Cabinet status, he claimed. Each of them incurs a monthly expenditure of approximately Rs 3 lakh to Rs 3.5 lakh towards office facilities, salaries and personal assistants, he added.
–IANS
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