Lucknow: Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav on Wednesday termed the Uttar Pradesh Budget for 2026–27 a “farewell Budget”, alleging that despite its large size, the Yogi Adityanath government has failed to effectively utilise allocated funds across key sectors.
Addressing a press conference, Akhilesh Yadav began with a riddle, saying: “Today we want to start with a riddle — ‘Jab muh khola, tab bura bola (Whenever they opened their mouth, they spoke ill)’. You tell me who we are talking about.”
“This is a farewell Budget, and along with it, the BJP’s farewell is also confirmed,” he said.
The UP government has presented a Budget exceeding Rs 9 lakh crore, calling it the largest in the state’s history. However, Akhilesh Yadav questioned the actual expenditure. “The size of the Budget is big, but how much is being spent? If we compare it with the previous Budget, the average expenditure comes to barely 50 per cent. The government is unable to spend,” he alleged.
Citing department-wise figures, the SP chief claimed that only 57 per cent of the agriculture budget has been spent, 36 per cent in rural development, around 60 per cent in animal husbandry, 58 per cent in health, and 53 per cent in women’s welfare. In basic and primary education — which he described as the most crucial sector — only 62 per cent of the allocation has been utilised.
“This clearly reflects a failure of governance. The government announces big figures but fails in implementation,” he said.
Akhilesh Yadav further questioned the state’s economic claims, stating that if Uttar Pradesh aims to become a three-trillion-dollar economy, its Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) should be close to Rs 90 lakh crore. “There is a significant gap between claims and reality,” he said.
He also raised concerns over MSMEs, employment generation, healthcare and law and order, alleging that the Budget serves more as a political exercise than a concrete roadmap for development.
(IANS)
