Budget disappointing, fails to fulfil poll promises: Opposition
Opposition parties in Jammu and Kashmir have strongly criticised the Budget presented by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Friday. The Peoples' Democratic Party (PDP) accused the ruling National Conference (NC) of failing to deliver on its promises, while the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) termed the Budget a "complete failure."
In a statement, the PDP said the people of Jammu and Kashmir deserve honest governance, "not broken promises." "This Budget clearly exposes the massive gap between the promises made in the National Conference's election manifesto and the reality of their governance. They had assured 200 units of free electricity for every household, creating hopes among the people of J&K. However, the budget announcement proves that their promise was nothing more than an election gimmick," the party said, referring to the decision to provide 200 free electricity units only to Antyodaya (AAY) families.
The PDP further stated that by "limiting" the benefit exclusively to AAY ration card holders, the government has effectively excluded a vast majority of the state's population.
Peoples' Conference chief Sajad Lone also criticised the Budget, calling it a "disappointment." "The Budget speech was, as expected, a disappointment—just the same old parroting of Centrally-sponsored schemes with Hindi nomenclature," Lone said in a statement.
He pointed out a significant gap between political rhetoric and economic figures, emphasising that the data presented in the Budget contradicted the ruling party's previous claims. "It glorified and endorsed the BJP's 'Naya Kashmir' discourse. Statistics that the NC has criticised for the past decade have now become the gospel truth. If the Lieutenant Governor’s address was a political relegation of aspirations, this Budget is a statistical relegation of aspirations… The saga of love letters continues. This is love letter to BJP—Part II," Lone remarked.
Jailed Lok Sabha MP Engineer Rashid’s Awami Ittehad Party (AIP) also condemned the Budget, calling it a "complete U-turn" from the National Conference’s election promises.
“NC promised 200 units of free electricity for all households. But now, they have limited it to Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) beneficiaries, that too with the unrealistic condition of installing solar panels. This is nothing but a cruel joke on economically weaker sections," AIP chief spokesperson Inam Un Nabi said in a statement.
The BJP’s Jammu and Kashmir unit also criticized the Budget, calling it a "betrayal of people’s trust."
"Where are the 12 free gas cylinders that Omar Abdullah promised? Where is the one lakh job guarantee? Where is the free ration? This budget is a cruel joke on the people of J&K," BJP spokesperson Altaf Thakur said.
“Omar Abdullah came to power by making grand announcements, but his government has failed on every front. The people will not forgive this betrayal,” he added.
However, the NC’s alliance partner, Congress, expressed satisfaction with the Budget. “The Budget appears to be in favour of the people. It has a lot of positivity, and almost all social sectors have been addressed,” J&K Congress chief Tariq Hameed Karra said.
