Aam Aadmi Party-led Delhi govt's surplus budget: Need for a closer look

Delhi, being a Union Territory, does not have the same ability as other states to raise debt. Delhi's debt comprises only loans from the central government

The Aam Aadmi Party-led Delhi government presented a Rs 75,800-crore “Rozgaar Budget” for 2022-23 on March 26, 2022. Less than two weeks later, on April 7, the AAP claimed that while the Bharatiya Janata Party-governed states were in huge debt, Delhi was the only “state” with a surplus Budget.
 

“If you want to learn governance, learn it from Kejriwal government. By emptying people’s pockets, the BJP makes states indebted,” tweeted the AAP in Hindi. It listed debt burden of seven BJP-led states — Uttar Pradesh (UP), Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Haryana, Uttarakhand, and Himachal Pradesh — and compared it to