Congress demands white paper on Assam's debt, claims fiscal mismanagement under CM Sarma

The Assam Congress on Wednesday called on Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma to issue a white paper on the state's financial health, accusing the BJP-led government of accumulating massive debt and mismanaging fiscal resources. At a press conference, senior Congress leader Ripun Bora highlighted the alarming rise in Assam's debt, which has surged by Rs 85,980 crore in just three years, bringing the total to Rs 1.52 lakh crore.

"The Congress demands transparency through a white paper that clearly outlines Assam's financial standing from 2021 to 2024," Bora said. He urged the government to disclose total revenue receipts, funds received from the Centre, loan amounts, and details of expenditures across sectors. Bora also questioned why capital expenditure has seen drastic cuts and pointed to repeated increases in VAT on petrol and diesel.

Bora compared the current debt with past figures, noting that during the tenure of former CM Tarun Gogoi, Assam's debt was Rs 35,000 crore, which rose to Rs 66,020.65 crore by 2021 under CM Sarbananda Sonowal. However, under CM Sarma's leadership from 2021 to 2024, the debt soared to Rs 1.52 lakh crore.

The Congress also alleged unpaid liabilities to contractors and workers, adding up to Rs 26,000 crore, and claimed that salary arrears for daily wage earners and other workers total Rs 5,000 crore. Bora criticized the government for relying on loans to fund beneficiary schemes, suggesting that this was being done to secure vote banks.

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