BJP, PDP criticise budget, Congress defends
Jammu, Mar 7: While the opposition parties slammed the maiden budget presented by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Friday, the Congress party, an ally of the government hailed it.
Criticising the budget, BJP leader and Leader of Opposition (LoP) Sunil Sharma said that the budget had nothing to offer to the people of Jammu and Kashmir. “I want to ask Omar Abdullah what he has done for the unemployed youth of Jammu and Kashmir,” said Sharma. He said that during the LG administration 42,000 unemployed youth got employment. He said that the Chief Minister used to raise his voice for daily wagers and now he wanted to ask him what he had done for them.
The LoP said that people were waiting for the amnesty for power bills, but the budget also left them disappointed. Referring to the budgetary provisions for free ration to AAY beneficiaries, Sharma said that the Chief Minister had betrayed the 1.5 crore people of Jammu and Kashmir. “The AAY accounts for just 2 percent,” he said. Sharma said that the budget had failed to make any provisions for the OBCs.
Peoples Democratic Party leader and MLA Pulwama termed the budget as a complete departure from the promises of the government. “The budget stands in contrast to the government’s promises,” Parra said. He said that the budget seems more like an allocation of Centrally sponsored schemes. The PDP leader said that there was nothing for the unemployed youth in the budget. Referring to the budgetary provision for free travel on government buses for women, he said that the government lacked sufficient buses to implement the initiative effectively. Parra said that the government had promised 200 units of free electricity for all and now they offered it to only AAYs.
Defending the budget, Congress Party legislator Irfan Hafeez Lone said that the BJP legislators had no moral right to criticize the budget. “Have they deposited Rs 15 lakh in peoples’ accounts,” asked Lone. He said that the budget offered a wide range of benefits to the people. “Whether it is marriage assistance, free ration, or free electricity for vulnerable sections, the budget has much to offer”, he said, adding that this is just the beginning. Lone expressed hope that the government would fulfil all its promises.
