'Empty vessels…': Opposition jabs AAP govt over Punjab Budget

Opposition parties Congress, Bharatiya Janata Party and Shiromani Akali Dal on Wednesday slammed the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government over the state Budget for financial year 2025-26, accusing them of neglecting critical issues and failing to deliver on key promises.

The opposition parties have called the Budget a “disappointment” for the people of Punjab, claiming that it offers little relief or concrete solutions to the state's pressing problems.

Punjab Congress chief Amarinder Singh Raja Warring said the Budget lacked vision and failed to address vital infrastructure needs.

He accused the AAP government of repackaging central schemes without offering anything new or impactful for the people of Punjab. “This is a defeatist budget as the AAP appears to have reconciled to its imminent defeat and exit, hence has decided not to provide any relief to people of Punjab. Looks like a “PREEMTIVE REVNGE” against people of Punjab by the AAP”, he said in a post on X.

Leader of Opposition and Congress leader Partap Singh Bajwa also took aim at the government's plan for a drug census under its 'Yudh Nashe De Virudh' campaign. He suggested that before implementing the census, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and all 117 MLAs should undergo drug tests conducted by an independent health agency not under the state government’s control.

He criticised the government's approach and called for a fair and transparent system in dealing with drug addiction.

BJP leader and Union Minister of State for Railways and Food Processing Industries, Ravneet Singh Bittu, also joined the chorus of criticism. He likened the Budget to the proverb “empty vessels make the loudest noise,” stating that the AAP government had failed to fulfill its promises.

“AAP government has utterly failed to deliver on its flagship promise of Rs 1,000 per month for women in Punjab. It has added around Rs 1 lakh crore to the state's debt—a sum nearly equal to the Rs 3 lakh crore accumulated over the previous 30 years. With rising crime and drug trafficking, the budget offers no concrete measures to address law and order issues,” Bittu said.

Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal strongly criticised the AAP government and Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann for what he called a betrayal of the people of Punjab in the 2025-26 state Budget. Badal accused the AAP leadership of reneging on all promises made to the people, including farmers, women, youth, businesses, government employees, and the weaker sections of society.