Assam: Congress leader and Leader of Opposition in the Assembly Debabrata Saikia has made serious allegations against the state government regarding the financial condition of Assam. He has written a letter to the Chief Justice of the Gauhati High Court demanding suo motu cognizance of the alleged violation of the Assam Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management (AFRBM) Act by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led state government. He claims that the debt burden on the state is increasing rapidly and has reached an unsustainable level.
CAG report cited and suspicion of possible scam
Saikia, in his letter, cited CAG reports and state financial statements and said that the fiscal deficit has been continuously hidden by the government, expenditure has been misclassified and funds have not been used properly. According to him, the deficit had reached 6.5% of GSDP in the financial year 2022-23, while the maximum limit under the AFRBM Act should be only 3.5%.
Hurt the spirit of the Constitution: Saikia
Saikia says that this negligence of the government violates the fundamental rights of the citizens under Articles 14, 19 and 21 of the Constitution. Also, referring to Articles 202, 266 and 293 of the Constitution, he said that the government is spending without proper transparency and announcing non-budgetary cash assistance schemes. He demanded that the High Court should issue notice to the government and get the CAG audited within three months on the financial position of 2024-25.
Lines of concern hidden in the figures
According to Saikia, the total outstanding debt on Assam has increased from ₹ 59,425.61 crore in 2018-19 to ₹ 1,23,214.80 crore in 2022-23, i.e. an increase of 107%. It is estimated that by July 2025, this debt will reach ₹1,84,463 crore. He also said that Utilization Certificates worth ₹37,991.70 crore have not been submitted yet for many expenses, which raises serious questions on transparency.
BJP hits back
BJP spokesperson Rupam Goswami hit back at the Congress and said that all this is just an “attempt to grab headlines“. He said that the government is working with transparency and will continue public welfare schemes. If the Congress has any evidence, they should have filed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) and not sought suo motu cognizance from the court.
