Chennai, February 17: The Tamil Nadu unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has sharply criticized the state government’s interim budget for 2026-27, labeling it a “hollow document.” The party claims that the budget reflects the ruling DMK’s financial mismanagement, unfulfilled promises, and administrative negligence.
State BJP President Nainar Nagendran described the budget as disappointing, stating that the document presented in the assembly lacks a solid financial roadmap and is merely a “letter of hollow pride.” He accused the DMK government of repeatedly disappointing the public over the past five years, asserting that citizens are no longer surprised by such “poor performance.”
He further claimed that a political change in the state is imminent.
Senior BJP leader Tamilisai Soundararajan raised questions about both the content and timing of the budget presentation. She sarcastically noted that a government claiming to be rational chose to present the budget on a new moon day.
Soundararajan referred to it as the DMK’s “last budget,” accusing the government of failing to fulfill electoral promises, increasing taxes, and burdening the state with debt, all while lacking transparency in the use of public funds.
BJP National Council member K. Annamalai also accused the government of misleading the public. He stated that the budget, presented ahead of the assembly elections, overlooks various societal groups, including sanitation workers demanding permanent appointments, teachers seeking equal pay, government doctors, and youth protesting alleged irregularities in recruitment.
Annamalai expressed concern over the state’s financial situation, noting that official estimates suggest Tamil Nadu’s total debt could reach ₹10.62 lakh crore by March 31, 2027. He questioned how such a large debt was incurred and why the state’s debt burden has escalated so rapidly.
He also raised issues regarding delays in the revised project reports for the Coimbatore and Madurai metro rail projects, alleging that the state government is blaming the central government. Additionally, he questioned the lack of visible improvements on the ground despite announcements regarding the cleaning of the Koom and Adyar rivers.
As of now, the DMK government has not issued any official response to the BJP’s allegations.
