Tripura Congress slams 2026–27 state budget, calls it ‘full of fraud’

Ashish Kumar Saha, president of the Tripura Pradesh Congress Committee, on March 17 sharply criticized the state’s proposed budget for the 2026–27 financial year, describing it as “full of fraud” and accusing the government of attempting to conceal its failures through manipulated figures.

Addressing a press conference at the Pradesh Congress Bhavan in Agartala, Saha alleged that the state budgets presented since 2018 have been misleading and have failed to translate announced schemes into actual implementation.

He pointed out that the allocation for the 2025–26 financial year stood at Rs 32,423.44 crore, but the revised budget showed a deficit of Rs 429.56 crore. According to Saha, despite announcements related to development projects, infrastructure initiatives, employment generation programmes and social security schemes, most of them were not implemented on the ground.

Saha also raised concerns over the gap between the state government’s demand for funds and the actual allocations recommended by the Sixteenth Finance Commission of India. He said the state had sought around Rs 1.78 lakh crore from the commission for the previous five years to support infrastructure development, address the needs of hilly areas, generate employment and meet additional administrative expenses associated with being a border state. However, the commission’s report reportedly showed a significant shortfall compared to the state’s expectations.

He further claimed that even before the current budget was presented, the state had already received Rs 31 crore less under the grant recommended by the Twelfth Finance Commission of India for the ongoing financial year.

“Our state, like other small and economically weaker states, depends heavily on central tax shares and allocations for development projects. Because of shortfalls in central support, the government is unable to fulfil the aspirations of people, including fair wages for teachers and employees and improvements in sectors such as education, healthcare and infrastructure,” Saha said.

He also criticized the promises associated with the “double engine” governance model often highlighted by the Bharatiya Janata Party leadership, stating that the assurances made under the concept had not produced the expected results.

Referring to the current financial proposal, Saha said the 2026–27 budget stands at Rs 34,212.31 crore and carries a deficit of Rs 240.72 crore. He also noted that while last year’s budget had projected a loan of Rs 4,993.73 crore, the revised estimates showed the state’s debt rising to Rs 7,961.60 crore.

For the upcoming financial year, the government has set a borrowing target of Rs 6,905.60 crore, of which Rs 2,483.99 crore is expected to be spent on interest payments and repayment of the principal amount.

Saha added that even though the new budget may show marginal increases in allocations in certain sectors, it does not adequately address key concerns such as employment generation, fair compensation for teachers and employees, and the daily challenges faced by marginalized groups including farmers and women.