Jaipur, February 11 The Rajasthan Congress on Wednesday launched a sharp attack on the BJP government over the state budget, alleging widespread non-implementation of past announcements, fiscal mismanagement, and inadequate allocations for critical sectors such as school infrastructure, irrigation, and employment.
Leader of the Opposition Tika Ram Jully described the budget as "hollow" and "superficial", claiming it lacked vision, policy, and intent.
"A budget built on repeating past speeches cannot shape the state's future," he told reporters in the Assembly after the state's Deputy Chief Minister Diya Kumari presented the budget.
Citing figures, Jully alleged that of the 2,718 announcements made in the last two budgets, only about 900, or "less than 30 per cent," had been completed, while work had not even begun on 284 projects. He accused the government of "making empty promises of 2047 to avoid accountability in 2026."
Targeting the Jal Jeevan Mission, he said the government had promised 45 lakh tap connections over the past two years but admitted in the House that only 14 lakh had been provided. "This is a direct betrayal of the people of the state," he said.
On the fiscal front, Jully claimed the revenue deficit had increased from the budget estimate of Rs 31,009 crore to Rs 32,982 crore, while revenue receipts fell short by Rs 9,003 crore. He termed the government "a failure on the financial front."
He also criticised proposals such as 'Namo Van' and 'Namo Nursery', alleging they reflected "cynical politics," and objected to what he described as insensitive conduct in the House during discussions on mental health. He further raised concerns over delays in the inauguration of refineries and the neglect of districts such as Bharatpur, as well as the dilapidated state of school buildings.
Rajasthan Pradesh Congress Committee chief Govind Singh Dotasra called the budget "disappointing" and said it lacked concrete allocations for key development projects. Referring to the Yamuna water project and the Eastern Rajasthan Canal Project (ERCP), he said there was "no clarity on allocation or timelines."
Citing a state government report, Dotasra said that 3,768 school buildings were dilapidated, and repairs required Rs 21,000 crore. "Despite the (Rajasthan) high court's strong observations, the government has proposed only Rs 550 crore for the repair of 2,500 schools and Rs 450 crore for the construction of 300 schools that are either without buildings or in a dilapidated state. This shows indifference towards public education and children's safety," he said.
He also accused the government of failing to announce the procurement of wheat at Rs 2,750 per quintal with bonus, and of not declaring the minimum support price (MSP) for bajra, alleging these were pre-election promises. He said that no new recruitment announcement had been made in line with the promise of one lakh jobs annually.
Congress national general secretary and former deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot termed the budget a "double blow" by the BJP's "double engine government."
"First, Rajasthan was ignored in the Union Budget, and now the state budget has dashed the hopes of farmers, youth, women, and the middle class," Pilot said, and also echoed Dotasra's concerns on budget allocation for schools.
In a statement, he also alleged that rising revenue deficit due to "financial mismanagement" would force the government to borrow more, fueling inflation. Pilot also claimed that big-ticket announcements such as Hi-Tech City, IT City, and Aero City remained confined to paper.
Raising the issue of unemployment, he said the promise of providing four lakh jobs had not been fulfilled, and that figures on private sector employment had not been made public.
Pilot also questioned the government's preparedness to deal with potential US tariffs on the textile sector and raised concerns over environmental safeguards, including the protection of the state tree, khejri, amid solar park expansion. He accused the government of lacking transparency regarding investments under 'Rising Rajasthan' and central funding under the Jal Jeevan Mission.
The BJP government has maintained that the budget is growth-oriented and focused on infrastructure, youth, farmers, and women, and that its announcements are being implemented in a time-bound manner.
