Opposition young guns put govt on mat for 'lacklustre Budget'

Young legislators belonging to the Congress and the INLD stole the show during a discussion on the Budget in the Assembly today. At least two first-time MLAs—Aditya Surjewala (Congress) and Arjun Chautala(INLD)—tried to put the BJP government on the mat for "lacklustre Budget", even as the senior legislators played to the gallery.

Armed with facts and figures, Surjewala alleged that contrary to the rosy picture of the state’s economy painted by Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini during his Budget speech, Haryana was on the verge of “financial emergency” with a huge debt burden.

“From November 1, 1966, to March 31, 2014, the state’s debt was pegged at Rs 60,293 crore. From 2014-15 to 2025-26, the debt liability has mounted to Rs 3.52 lakh crore, registering a whopping increase of over 600%, which worked out to be Rs 73 crore per day and Rs 3 crore per hour,” Surjewala alleged.

Claiming that all major big-ticket projects were initiated during the Congress regime between 2004 and 2014, the Congress legislator alleged that even in the Rs 5,000 crore allocation for “Lado Laxmi Yojana” only about 20% of women would benefit.

Chautala alleged that the state’s debt was increasing at an annual rate of 13%, which accounted for nearly 28% of the state’s gross domestic product (GDP). "Despite the state earning 18% of its revenue from the primary sector, 29% from secondary sector and 53% from the services sector, it has failed to develop its manufacturing sector, resulting in the flight of youth to foreign countries on account of the lack of employment opportunities,” Chautala claimed.

Meanwhile, senior Congress MLA Geeta Bhukkal alleged that the BJP government was claiming credit for major projects initiated during the Congress regime.

BJP legislators, including Lakshman Napa, Kanwar Singh Yadav and Ranbir Panihar, however, lauded the Budget, terming it as a milestone in Haryana’s history. Independent MLA Devender Kadyan, who supports the BJP, urged the Congress to appreciate the “pro-people” proposals.

Ambala MLA walks out

Ambala city MLA Nirmal Singh staged a walk out from the House demanding a clarification from the Chief Minister on the Dadupur-Nalvi canal.