AAP govt to present ‘pro-people’ budget in March: CM Mann

Chandigarh: Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann on Saturday indicated that the state budget for 2026-27 would be presented on March 8. The exact schedule of the budget session is likely to be approved in the upcoming meeting of the council of ministers, scheduled on Monday.Speaking with media persons in Ahmedabad, Mann said his govt would present its fifth budget in March, reiterating that it would once again be a pro-people budget focused on the welfare of every section of society. Interacting with media persons, he asserted that the AAP govt took pro-people and citizen-centric decisions that transformed the state's trajectory. Mann said, "The Punjab govt will present its fifth budget in the month of March, and we will continue our tradition of presenting a pro-people budget aimed at the welfare of all. Our sole aim is to ensure the well-being of the common man, and we are making strenuous efforts to achieve this. The forthcoming budget will again ensure immense benefit to the people of Punjab." Taking on the Centre, Mann said that over consecutive years, the Union Budget presented by the BJP-led NDA govt was directionless and tilted towards the affluent sections of society. "In Gujarat, where there is virtually no opposition, the agonies of the common man multiplied, and people continued to suffer. Congress and BJP are playing a friendly match there, and as a result, the voice of the common man was suppressed," he said. Mann remarked that while the Prime Minister talks about making the country Vishwa Guru, people in his home state are struggling for basic necessities. "To muzzle the voice of the opposition in a democracy, the Union govt introduced the concept of Digital Janta, where vote data is created through mischief and used to win elections in every state. Today, people of Gujarat are looking towards AAP as their saviour. There is hope in the eyes of every Gujarati family in the form of AAP," he said.Raising the issue of financial rights of states, Mann said that Punjab's legitimate share in the Rural Development Fund had been "undemocratically" stalled by the Centre, a pattern seen in all non-BJP ruled states. "It has become a trend to suppress the voice of the opposition. Just like a bouquet is admired for its variety of flowers, democracy thrives when every voice is heard," he said.