Chennai, Feb 17 (IANS) The Tamil Nadu unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday launched a sharp attack on the state government’s Interim Budget for 2026–27, calling it an “empty document” that reflects “financial mismanagement, unfulfilled promises and administrative indifference” by the ruling DMK.

State BJP president Nainar Nagenthran dismissed the Budget as lacking substance and direction.

He said what was presented in the Assembly was not an interim financial roadmap but a “document of hollow pride”.

Accusing the DMK government of repeatedly disappointing the public over the past five years, he added that people were no longer surprised by what he termed “another underwhelming exercise”.

He expressed confidence that political change in the State was imminent.

Senior BJP leader Tamilisai Soundararajan criticised both the content and the timing of the Budget presentation.

Taking a swipe at the DMK’s ideological stance, she pointed out that a government claiming to be rationalist had chosen an auspicious time on Amavasya to table the document.

Alleging that the public felt betrayed, she described it as the DMK’s “final Budget”.

She further accused the government of making false electoral promises, increasing taxes and pushing the State deeper into debt, while failing to transparently account for public funds.

BJP national general council member K. Annamalai echoed similar concerns, accusing the government of continuing to mislead the public even in what he described as its concluding Budget before the Assembly elections.

He alleged that key sections of society – including sanitation workers seeking permanent employment, teachers demanding equal pay, government doctors, and youth protesting alleged irregularities in recruitment – had been ignored.

Raising concerns over the State’s finances, Annamalai referred to official projections that Tamil Nadu’s total borrowings could reach Rs 10.62 lakh crore by March 31, 2027.

Questioning the scale of borrowing, he asked where the funds had been utilised and why the State’s debt burden had risen so sharply.

He also accused the government of delaying revised project reports for Metro rail projects in Coimbatore and Madurai while blaming the Union government for inaction.

Additionally, he questioned allocations for cleaning the Cooum and Adyar rivers, alleging that earlier announcements had not resulted in visible improvements. The DMK government has yet to respond to the BJP’s criticism.

–IANS

aal/svn