Pargat criticises budget as ‘election gimmick’

Chandigarh: Congress leader and former education minister Pargat Singh on Sunday criticised the Punjab budget, describing it as an "election gimmick". He said the Bhagwant Mann-led govt failed to fulfil the promises made in its earlier budgets.Reacting to the budget presented in the Punjab Vidhan Sabha, Pargat Singh said the govt was trying to mislead people by announcing large figures in an election year without delivering on earlier commitments. According to him, the budget was disappointing and offered little tangible benefit to the public.Referring to the announcement of a monthly assistance for women, the Congress MLA said the govt should instead increase pensions for the state's 35 lakh pension beneficiaries by Rs 1,000. "If the pension of these beneficiaries was raised by Rs 1,000, it would help widows, the elderly and persons with disabilities who need financial support the most," he added.The senior leader also cited observations made by the Supreme Court of India regarding the distinction between free handouts and welfare schemes, saying that funds should be directed towards welfare programmes rather than giveaways.Pargat Singh further said the Aam Aadmi Party for the last four years promised a monthly Rs 1,000 assistance to women and "now, in the final year, the govt announced Rs 1,000 and Rs 1,500 for women, which effectively divided women into different categories".The announcement appeared to be driven by electoral considerations, he added.The Congress leader also referred to promises made in earlier budgets. He said the govt announced plans to establish 16 new medical colleges in its first budget but did not build any so far. In the second year, it spoke of providing minimum support price (MSP) for crops and introducing an agricultural policy, yet farmers were still not receiving MSP on all crops, he claimed.He also referred to the announcement of Rs 5 crore development funds for MLAs in the previous budget, alleging that this promise was not fulfilled either.Pargat said the govt's statements and announcements contained several contradictions and accused it of backing out of commitments made in the assembly. According to him, the administration was more focused on creating "content" rather than delivering results on the ground.He further argued that the budget lacked a clear roadmap for Punjab's development and instead relied on large financial projections. "The state has limited revenue sources and is already dependent on loans, with debt crossing Rs 4 lakh crore," he said, warning that ambitious spending announcements could push Punjab deeper into a debt trap. MSID:: 129271235 413 |