In a scathing attack, senior Congress leader Jitu Patwari has denounced the Madhya Pradesh BJP government’s latest Rs 4.38 lakh crore budget as nothing short of a ‘blood-sucking’ ploy to mislead the masses. Presented by Finance Minister Jagdish Devda in the state assembly, the document claims inclusive growth but has been slammed for its fiscal irresponsibility.
Speaking to media in Bhopal, Patwari dissected the budget’s flaws: a massive unrevealed fiscal shortfall, unspent funds from prior allocations hovering at 50%, and zero mention of resuscitating 33 shuttered schemes. ‘This isn’t governance; it’s treating MP like a central puppet,’ he charged. He mocked the focus on canine sterilizations while systemic corruption festers, insisting economic recovery demands surgical intervention in governmental graft.
Umang Singhar amplified the critique, spotlighting the confessed Rs 74,000 crore-plus deficit amid a Rs 6 lakh crore debt mountain. ‘Every resident shoulders Rs 60,000 in debt; farmers even more—where’s the escape plan?’ he posted online. Key omissions plague the budget: no farmer income boosts, no jobs for youth, no inflation relief for staff, and no electricity rate cuts despite public outcry. Instead, benefits skew toward private firms.
Worryingly, 16% of revenues vanish into interest repayments, dwarfing sectoral budgets. The much-hyped 2026 Farmers’ Welfare declaration lacks funding, and Global Investor Summit boasts of Rs 33 lakh crore pledges yield no transparency on realized investments or employment gains from past events.
Patwari’s rhetoric underscores a deepening political chasm, as opposition demands expose the budget’s gap between rhetoric and reality. With public finances strained, Madhya Pradesh faces pivotal questions on sustainable development and equitable resource distribution.