'Old wine in new bottle': Akhil Gogoi labels Assam Budget a 'copy-paste' exercise

Assam Finance Minister Jayanta Malla Baruah's Budget for 2026-27 sparked a political showdown in the Legislative Assembly on July 10, with opposition parties dismissing it as a "copy-paste" exercise lacking fresh ideas, while the BJP defended it as a development-oriented budget that delivers on key promises.

 

Raijor Dal MLA Akhil Gogoi claimed the budget failed to introduce any significant new measures and remained heavily dependent on borrowings and centrally funded schemes.

 

"This budget is not going to bring anything new. It is a safe budget dependent on borrowings from the open market," Gogoi said, adding that nearly 20 per cent of the state's revenue would come from loans. Calling it "old wine in a new bottle", he argued that the financial plan offered little that had not been seen before.

 

Gogoi also maintained that several flagship infrastructure projects mentioned in the budget, including the Kaziranga elevated corridor, the Guwahati Ring Road and the Gohpur–Numaligarh four-lane highway, were projects of the Central Government rather than initiatives of the Assam Government.

 

He, however, welcomed the proposed Rs 4,000 crore allocation for irrigation, saying Assam "desperately needs irrigation facilities" and that the investment could benefit farmers if implemented effectively. "Apart from that, this budget has nothing to offer Assam," he added.

 

Congress MLA and Deputy Leader of the Opposition J P Das termed the budget anti-farmer and anti-people, alleging that it had failed to address the concerns of several sections of society.

 

"This budget is against farmers, the poor, youth and the common people," Das said. He claimed that promises made to women, Adivasis and other communities had not been reflected in the financial proposals, describing it as an "anti-people budget".

 

AIUDF MLA Mujibur Rahman echoed similar criticism, alleging that the government had simply repeated previous budgets without introducing meaningful reforms.

 

"There is nothing new in this budget. It is merely a copy of the previous budgets," Rahman said. He also accused the government of increasing the state's debt through large-scale borrowings without delivering tangible benefits to ordinary people.

 

Rejecting the opposition's criticism, BJP MLA Pabitra Rabha said the budget fulfilled major commitments made by the government and laid out a long-term vision for Assam's development.

 

"I believe this is the budget of our dreams," Rabha said, pointing to the government's commitment to provide two lakh jobs and create employment opportunities for 50,000 educated youth through the Chief Minister's Atmanirbhar Assam Abhiyan.

 

He also highlighted the proposal to provide an additional Rs 11,000 annually to PM-KISAN beneficiaries in Assam, expand medical education and increase spending across multiple sectors.

 

"The opposition is criticising the budget only for political mileage," Rabha said, adding that the budget introduced new measures for farmers, expanded medical colleges and strengthened welfare initiatives in line with Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma's vision for the state.