Guwahati: BJP-led government is most debt-ridden, says APCC

STAFF REPORTER

GUWAHATI: The Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) said that the BJP-led Assam government is the most “debt-ridden government” in the history of Assam.

APCC’s senior spokesperson Rituparna Konwar said in a statement, “Today marks the completion of four years of the BJP-led coalition government in Assam under the leadership of Chief Minister Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma. During this four-year tenure, the government has set a record by taking on the highest amount of debt in the state’s history. According to data from the Reserve Bank of India, in just the past four years, the state government has borrowed more than Rs. 1,26,202 crore”.

Konwar further said that in these four years, in 2021–22, the state government had borrowed Rs 17,148.41 crore. Similarly, the government took loans amounting to Rs 30,510.80 crore in 2022–23, Rs 46,994.05 crore in 2023–24, and Rs 31,549.05 crore in 2024–25.

“This figure excludes an additional loan of over Rs. 2,000 crore taken during April and May of this financial year. If we calculate this over a span of four years or 1,460 days (365 × 4), the state government has, on average, borrowed around Rs. 86 crore per day. The Chief Minister has taken on such a massive debt in just four years that the debt burden per individual in Assam has increased to nearly Rs. 34,000,” Konwar added.

He further said that, from post-Independence until 2016, the total debt stood at only around Rs 41,964 crore. During the five years of the Sarbananda Sonowal government, the total debt rose to Rs 47,745 crore. According to the Reserve Bank report, during the two terms of the BJP government, Assam’s total debt has ballooned to approximately Rs. 1,78,000 crore. At this rate, the debt burden per individual in Assam has now increased to over Rs. 48,000.

Konwar said, “Between 2021 and 2025, Assam’s debt burden has increased by around 101%, which is unprecedented in the state’s economic history. In the coming year, both the total debt and per capita debt are expected to rise even further. All of this clearly indicates that under Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, the BJP-led government has driven Assam’s economy into a debt-dependent system over the past four years.”

 Also Read: Guwahati: APCC demands fair and transparent counting of votes

Also Watch: