The third Trinamool Congress (TMC) government in West Bengal presented its final full budget on Wednesday. Opposition parties, however, labelled it as “election-driven,” “lacking direction” and ineffective in addressing unemployment. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee defended the budget, claiming it offers ample job opportunities.
Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari said, “In 2026, a BJP-led government would present a budget ensuring every unemployed family receives a job.” He claimed the budget to be “not true” and said that it lacked a direction in key sectors such as healthcare, education, industry, and in resolving the state's debt.
Chandrima Bhattacharya, the minister of state for finance, announced a four per cent increase in the Dearness Allowance (DA) for state government employees, raising it to 18 per cent and narrowing the gap with the Union government’s DA to 35 per cent.
BJP state president Sukanta Majumdar demanded parity with the central DA rate. He recalled that Mamata Banerjee, during the Left Front rule, had suggested that a government unable to provide central-level DA should step down. "We are now saying the same—step down," Majumdar said.
Nawsad Siddique, MLA from the Indian Secular Front (ISF)—the only party in the assembly besides TMC and BJP—also expressed dissatisfaction with the budget. He highlighted the state’s current debt of Rs 6 lakh crore, stating that it had become a heavy burden on the people. He accused the TMC of crafting the budget with election considerations in mind.
Kolkata, West Bengal: On the state budget, MLA Nawsad Siddique says, "What will happen by giving just a 4 percent DA?... We say that DA should be given at par with the center. This budget is just for show" pic.twitter.com/ghRlpgSfmD
— IANS (@ians_india) February 12, 2025
The CPI(M), which has no assembly representation, also condemned the budget, focusing on the issues of rising debt and unemployment. “The debt has increased four times during this government’s tenure. There’s no information about how many jobs have been created and how the government plans to generate employment,” said CPI(M) state secretary Mohammed Selim.
Banerjee, meanwhile, claimed that her government’s main aim was to generate as much employment as possible in this budget. She highlighted employment growth in the IT sector, MSME industries, and new economic corridors across the state.
VIDEO | West Bengal Budget 2025: CM Mamata Banerjee (@MamataOfficial) says, "If you look carefully, the Centre always make promises in the Union Budget ahead of elections and their promises prove to be false after the elections are over."
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) February 12, 2025
(Full video available on PTI Videos -… pic.twitter.com/Yz3I70O0mt
She also attacked the BJP-led NDA government’s Union Budget, saying, “We keep our promises. Many make commitments in the budget for elections, but later they break those promises.”
Bhattacharya, the state finance minister, informed that the GDP of West Bengal crossed Rs 18 lakh crore and had grown by 6.80 per cent, which is more than the national growth rate of 6.37 per cent.
She also informed the assembly that the unemployment rate of 4.14 per cent in West Bengal was almost half of the national average of 7.93 per cent.
