Agartala, March 17 The Tripura Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) president, Asish Kumar Saha, alleged on Tuesday that the BJP government has been pushing the northeastern state towards a "mountain of debt."
"The state government's budget, presented in the Tripura Assembly on Monday, was the most fraudulent attempt to hide its own incompetence and failure in managing fiscal policy," Saha said at a press conference here.
He claimed that the state's debt has increased from ₹11,000 crore in 2018 to ₹27,000 crore, driving the small state towards a "mountain of debt."
Saha alleged that the BJP-led government has "failed" to keep its promises and expedite development due to loan repayments and interest.
"People were frustrated after hearing about the Centre's economic deprivation (during Communist rule) for several years. The people supported the BJP (in the 2018 election) to install a double-engine government to end this deprivation. Now, we are observing how the double-engine government is borrowing money to run the state," he said.
Saha stated that the budget, in the name of increasing revenue, clearly indicates plans to increase taxes on various pretexts, such as sales tax, road cess, excise duty, stamp duty, and an increase in electricity tariffs.