Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) President Bhakta Charan Das has sharply criticised the BJP-led government’s 2026-27 budget, calling it “disappointing” and accusing the administration of poor financial management and empty rhetoric.
In a press statement issued upon his return from Bargarh, Das dismissed the increased budget size as meaningless without actual spending. “A government that spent only 57% of its allocation in the first 10 months of the current financial year has no business celebrating a Rs 20,000-crore-plus hike,” he stated, describing the budget as having an “elephant-like size but ant-like expenditure.”
The budget outlay has risen from ₹2.90 lakh crore to ₹3.10 lakh crore. Das questioned how the government plans to utilize the remaining 43% in just five weeks, noting that 22 of 42 departments have spent less than 50% of their funds. He added that the previous supplementary provision of ₹70,000 crore is unlikely to be fully utilized.
Das raised alarm over the state’s mounting debt, which has reached ₹91,000 crore in just two budgets, up from ₹47,400 crore last year. The proposed additional borrowing stands at ₹56,000 crore, while capital expenditure utilization is a mere 47%. “This is an incapable government,” he declared, adding that unspent original allocations make supplementary budgets unnecessary.
The Congress leader accused the BJP of focusing on “fanfare” under the “double engine” slogan while ignoring ground realities. He pointed to ₹8,000 crore in pending central dues and warned that continued failure would invite public backlash.
Das highlighted several unaddressed crises: Odisha’s highest unemployment rate, the country’s worst law and order situation, farmers’ inability to sell produce amid dilapidated mandis and diverted aid, contaminated drinking water causing deaths in districts like Jajpur and Keonjhar, unused water pipes rotting in the open, and new universities operating without vice-chancellors or faculty.
He dismissed the claimed 7.9% GSDP growth as “self-satisfaction,” noting that Odisha’s per capita income of ₹1.87 lakh keeps it near the bottom nationally — a position unchanged since 2005. “If the economy is truly growing, why aren’t people feeling the benefits?” he asked.
The OPCC chief accused the government of surviving on “false propaganda” over the past 20 months while reality remains starkly different.
