Akhilesh Says UP Budget Not Pro-People, Flags Low Expenditure

Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav on Wednesday termed the Uttar Pradesh Budget for FY 2026-27 a "farewell budget" of the Yogi Adityanath government, asserting that the ruling BJP will exit office after the 2027 Assembly elections.

The former chief minister said the budget was big only in size and was not pro-people.

Addressing a press conference in Lucknow shortly after the state government presented the budget in the Assembly, Yadav said the BJP was projecting the size of the budget -- over Rs 9 lakh crore -- as a major achievement.

"The government says its budget has crossed Rs 9 lakh crore and claims it as an achievement. It is generally accepted that every budget is bigger than the previous one. The real question is how much of it is actually spent," he said.

Yadav alleged that on an average, the government has failed to utilise even 50 per cent of its allocations.

Citing figures for various departments, the former chief minister claimed that only 57 per cent of the allocation was spent on agriculture, 36 per cent on rural development, around 60 per cent on animal husbandry, 58 per cent in health and 53 per cent in women welfare.

"In the most important department -- basic education -- only 62 per cent of the budget was spent," he alleged.

Yadav said the government's inability to utilise funds in key sectors reflects administrative incompetence.

"When such a large budget is presented but even half of it is not spent, especially in crucial departments, it exposes the government's failure and the incompetence of those running it," he said, calling the budget a "bidaai budget" (farewell budget) of the Adityanath government.

The budget presented on Wednesday is widely seen as the last full-fledged budget of the Adityanath government before the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections.

Yadav further questioned the state government's economic projections, terming them "mere estimates" and not actual figures.

He said the government had projected the state's GSDP at Rs 30.25 lakh crore in FY 2024-25 and estimated it to rise to Rs 36 lakh crore in FY 2025-26.

"These are only projections. The real numbers are not yet available," he said, adding that to achieve the target of a USD 1 trillion economy, the GSDP would need to touch around Rs 90 lakh crore.

"Now that they have presented what is virtually their last full budget, they should explain how they will build a one-trillion-dollar economy," Yadav said, taking a swipe at Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, remarking that the required growth rate would have to be "around 30 per cent".

Referring to per capita income, Yadav said that compared to other states, Uttar Pradesh ranks "second from the bottom".

"If investments had truly come, jobs would have been visible," he said.

Yadav also targeted the government on sugarcane pricing, alleging that while payments were highlighted, cane prices have not risen adequately. He claimed that potato and sugarcane farmers were in distress and also questioned the implementation of the Ujjwala scheme.

Referring to the recent India-US trade agreement, he asked what measures the state has taken to safeguard farmers amid fears of increased agricultural imports.

While BJP leaders raise slogans of "Swadeshi", "Make in India" and "Atmanirbhar Bharat", they are simultaneously signing free trade agreements, Yadav said, claiming that the rupee has fallen to its lowest level against the dollar during the BJP's tenure.

Warning about the possible fallout of trade agreements, he said the biggest impact would be on the poor and farmers, as a large section of the population in Uttar Pradesh depends on agriculture and lives in rural areas.

He further alleged that key sectors such as MSMEs and agriculture were not receiving adequate support. Claiming that out of the 96 lakh MSMEs in the state, about 82 lakh were not properly registered, he said this prevented them from accessing government schemes.

On employment, Yadav said the government lacked a clear roadmap to tackle unemployment despite tall claims in the Budget. He alleged that the government was reluctant to provide regular government jobs because it would have to implement reservation.

He further alleged irregularities in skill development programmes and claimed that while little was achieved on the ground, thousands of crores were spent on publicity.

"With that money, how many people could have been given jobs?" he asked.

The Samajwadi Party chief also highlighted the condition of government hospitals and medical colleges, alleging that public healthcare was being weakened deliberately to benefit private institutions. He also sought clarity on allocations for the two AIIMS (All India Institutes of Medical Science) in the state.

Continuing his attack, Yadav said the state government has failed to launch any new metro project despite earlier announcements of metro rail in Varanasi, Meerut and Prayagraj.

Without naming Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Yadav said that even in the "city represented by the country's top MP", the metro project has not taken off. He alleged that the delay was linked to the fact that a metro project was not considered feasible in Gorakhpur, the pocket borough of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.

Yadav accused the government of ignoring its past promises and waiting for the Union Budget before presenting its own. "The government is trying to mislead people through figures and publicity," he said.