Uttar Pradesh Budget a ‘deceit,’ says Lalji Verma; Finance Minister Suresh Khanna intervenes, asks him to keep facts right

The Yogi Adityanath government on May 26 presented its maiden Budget of the second term with a focus on education, employment, empowerment of women and farmers besides law and order.

Senior Samajwadi Party leader Lalji Verma on May 28 termed the Uttar Pradesh Budget presented by the BJP government a "deceit", prompting Finance Minister Suresh Khanna to intervene and ask the Opposition leader to get his facts right.

The Yogi Adityanath government on May 26 presented its maiden Budget of the second term with a focus on education, employment, empowerment of women and farmers besides law and order. The Budget is seen as a masterstroke by the government towards realising the dream of achieving a $1 trillion economy for Uttar Pradesh. The ₹6,15,518.97 crore Budget has a provision of ₹39,181 crore for new schemes.

Finance Minister Suresh Khanna said the current Budget is bigger than the previous Budget by ₹65,249 crores. Participating in the discussion on the Budget in the State Assembly, Lalji Verma said, "Like the Budgets of the past five years, this Budget is also a deceit. It is a Budget, which is misleading people." "The government is terming it as the biggest Budget but it is far from reality. How much the Budget is implemented is to be seen and only then the complete picture will emerge," he added.

Mr. Verma also gave year-wise date of previous Budgets presented by the BJP government and claimed that the amount earmarked for them could not be spent. "If the supplementary Budget is combined for 2021-22, then it comes to $5.85 lakh crore. But, the amount spent was $4.84 crore," he said.

Mr. Verma, a former State Finance Minister, claimed that merely 45%-70% of the Budget allotted to some Departments could be spent. "This is a hollow Budget," Mr. Verma said. Following this, Finance Minister Suresh Khanna intervened and asked Mr. Verma to get his facts right.

Mr. Khanna said if for 2021-2022, the supplementary Budget is combined, then it comes to ₹5.66 lakh crore. Speaking in support of the Budget, Siddharth Nath Singh of the BJP termed the Budget "historic". About 65%-70% people in Uttar Pradesh live in villages and if they are left out of the debate on economy, then it is not good, he said. "After coming to power in 2017, the Yogi Adityanath government started one district, one product scheme," he said.