Bhopal’s legislative assembly witnessed a fiery debate as Madhya Pradesh Finance Minister Jagdish Devda unveiled the BJP government’s third annual budget on Wednesday. Touted by the ruling party as a comprehensive plan benefiting all sections of society, the budget quickly drew sharp criticism from opposition leaders who labeled it a deceptive exercise.
Congress heavyweight Jitu Patwari didn’t mince words during an exclusive interview, calling the budget a ‘scam designed to dupe the public.’ He pointed out the staggering fiscal deficit looming over the state, questioning how the government plans to bridge the gap without clear revenue strategies. ‘They’ve presented a bloated budget, but where’s the money coming from?’ Patwari asked, highlighting that the previous budget saw less than half the allocated funds actually spent.
Patwari lambasted the closure of 33 key state schemes with no revival provisions in the new budget. ‘It feels like Madhya Pradesh is being run as a Union Territory,’ he quipped. He urged the government to prioritize curbing its own ‘corruption’ over trivial expenditures like dog sterilizations, arguing that only such bold steps could rescue the state from economic distress.
Fellow Congress leader Umang Singhar echoed these sentiments, noting the government’s admission of a fiscal deficit exceeding Rs 74,000 crore. ‘With an empty treasury, how can they promise grand schemes?’ he wondered. The budget glaringly omits doubling farmers’ incomes, youth employment guarantees, or dearness allowance hikes for employees. Issues plaguing the common man, like soaring electricity tariffs, remain unaddressed, while private companies appear to be favored.
Singhar took to social media to expose the debt burden: a whopping Rs 6 lakh crore piled up due to flawed policies, translating to over Rs 60,000 per citizen and lakhs for each farmer. The budget reveals 16% of state revenue swallowed by interest payments alone—more than any departmental allocation. Promises like declaring 2026 as Farmers’ Welfare Year ring hollow without dedicated funding, and tall claims of Rs 33 lakh crore investments from the Global Investor Summit lack verifiable data on actual jobs created.
As the opposition mounts pressure, the budget’s true impact on Madhya Pradesh’s beleaguered economy remains under intense scrutiny, with calls growing for accountability and real relief measures.