Chandigarh, March 26: Leader of the Opposition Partap Singh Bajwa on Wednesday criticized the ₹2.36 lakh crore Punjab budget for 2025-26, calling it misleading and disappointing for all sections of society.
He accused the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government of neglecting women, farmers, students, the working class, and businesses.
“It’s a budget full of deceit. Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema has ignored every segment of Punjab,” Bajwa said.
The Congress leader pointed out that Punjab’s debt has worsened under AAP’s three-year rule.
“The government will take another ₹49,900 crore loan in the upcoming financial year, pushing Punjab’s total debt to ₹3.96 lakh crore by March 2026. When AAP took power in 2022, the debt stood at ₹2.73 lakh crore. Is this what FM Cheema is boasting about?” he said.
Bajwa also dismissed the ₹14,524 crore allocation for agriculture as insufficient.
“Agriculture is Punjab’s backbone, yet this budget offers little to farmers. The government claims to support crop diversification, but ₹1,200 crore is a joke when ₹28,000 crore per year is needed to diversify 10 lakh hectares,” he said, adding that MSP procurement beyond paddy covers only 2% of Punjab’s farmers.
He criticized the government for failing to deliver on its key pre-poll promises.
“For the third straight year, there’s no mention of the ₹1,100 monthly allowance for women. The drug menace remains unchecked. Despite grand claims, the education and health budgets lack substantial increases, leaving weaker sections without quality services,” he said.
Bajwa also accused AAP of sidelining Punjab’s industrial sector. “The government promised ₹250 crore for industry revival, but that commitment remains unfulfilled,” he said.
Questioning the government’s claim of reducing the revenue deficit to 2.51%, Bajwa alleged that the numbers were manipulated.
“The so-called deficit reduction was achieved by delaying ₹3,968 crore in Scheduled Caste scholarship payments and ₹18,424 lakh in pensions—denying the most vulnerable their rightful dues,” he said.
