Ashok Gehlot to release ‘Budget Files’ every Saturday, targets Raj govt over unfulfilled promises
Jaipur: Former Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Friday announced a new video series titled ‘Budget Files’, which will be released every Saturday from November 14.
Through the series, Gehlot intends to scrutinise the BJP government’s budget announcements and highlight the gap between promises made and their actual implementation.
The move comes after Gehlot’s earlier political campaign, ‘Intizar-shastra’ (the science of waiting), through which he had repeatedly targeted the Bhajan Lal Sharma-led state government over delays in fulfilling its commitments.
In a written statement, the former Chief Minister said the state government had presented four major budget-related documents so far: the Vote on Account 2024, the Revised Budget 2024-25, the Budget 2025-26 and the Budget 2026-27.
These documents contained numerous announcements relating to roads, sports, drinking water, healthcare, urban development and employee welfare, he added.
“Under the new initiative, each Saturday’s episode will examine one major budget announcement and assess the progress made towards its implementation.”
The series will raise a fundamental question: “While the government made the announcement, what is the reality on the ground?”
Gehlot said a budget was not merely a document containing figures and statistics but a promise made to the people.
He added that the objective of ‘Budget Files’ was to inform the public about the status of these commitments and hold the state government accountable for its announcements.
He said that budgetary promises should not remain confined to government documents but must translate into tangible results on the ground.
Through the series, Gehlot said, the BJP government’s claims and promises would be put to scrutiny.
Gehlot’s latest initiative is expected to trigger another round of political sparring between the ruling BJP and the opposition Congress in Rajasthan.
Earlier, his ‘Intizar-shastra’ campaign had prompted repeated responses from State BJP President Madan Rathore and several Ministers, who countered his allegations.
Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma had also challenged Gehlot to a debate in the Legislative Assembly, proposing a comparison between the BJP government’s two-year tenure and the Congress government’s previous five years.
A debate was subsequently scheduled in the Assembly, but Congress MLAs boycotted it.
With the launch of ‘Budget Files’, Gehlot appears set to intensify his political offensive against the BJP government, shifting the focus towards the implementation of budget announcements and the delivery of promised development projects.