'Not even a single rupee' for floods, erosion: Raijor Dal Akhil Gogoi attacks Assam budget

Raijor Dal MLA Akhil Gogoi on Friday launched a sharp attack on the Assam Budget 2026-27, alleging that the government had allocated "not even a single rupee" to tackle the state's recurring flood and erosion crisis while ignoring rural industries and employment generation.

Reacting after Finance Minister Jayanta Malla Baruah presented the budget in the Assembly, Gogoi described the financial statement as a "summary statement" and claimed it would push Assam further into debt instead of driving development.

"The government's budget statement was given; it was a summary statement. Today's total liability loan is Rs 1,96,000 crore. This means our liabilities are more than our budget," Gogoi said.

Calling floods and erosion Assam's biggest challenge, the Raijor Dal legislator alleged that the government had failed to earmark any funds to address the issue.

"The biggest problem in Assam is floods and erosion. Not even a single rupee has been allocated in the budget to address this problem," he claimed.

Gogoi also criticised the budget for what he described as a lack of support for small industries and village-level enterprises.

"Small industries are to be built. Not even a single rupee is allocated for this. Not even a single rupee has been spent on making MSMEs in every village," he said.

Questioning the government's development priorities, Gogoi said the budget would neither create jobs nor strengthen the state's economy.

"This Assam Budget is not a budget of development; this is a budget to make the people of Assam non-professional, to make people more lazy," he said.

Presenting the Budget 2026-27, Finance Minister Jayanta Malla Baruah said the government would build on the gains made over the past decade to transform Assam into a key contributor to the vision of Viksit Bharat and Viksit Assam.

"Over the last decade, Assam has moved from instability to peace, from neglect to national priority, and from uncertainty to decisive development," Baruah said. He added that the government's objective was to build "a productive, inclusive and knowledge-driven Assam" by promoting climate resilience, industry, entrepreneurship, the digital economy and balanced regional development.

Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, in a post on X, said the government would continue expanding support for farmers through procurement schemes for paddy, maize and mustard, along with dairy subsidies and assistance for pregnant tea garden workers.