Opposition terms budget ‘mere rhetoric’

Srinagar, Mar 7: Terming the maiden budget of the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir presented by the Omar Abdullah-led dispensation as ‘mere rhetoric’, the opposition parties on Friday accused the government of failing to fulfil the promises it had made to the people.
Leader of Opposition in Legislative Assembly and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader, Sunil Sharma said that the budget presented by the Chief Minister himself is nothing but a reflection of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s schemes. “In his 120 minute speech, the Chief Minister spoke about the Prime Minister’s schemes for almost 118 minutes,” the LOP said, adding, “The announcements including 200 free electricity units, free 10 kg ration and marriage assistance support has been announced only for the AAY category. What about other poor sections of the society. Where will they go?,” Sharma said.
He said that the government had made tall claims about addressing unemployment, but nothing has been kept for the jobless youth in this budget, adding that the daily wagers have been neglected, there has been no mention of any power amnesty scheme, contractors have been pushed to the wall despite getting the money from the Centre. “The government has done nothing for the OBCs, SC and ST,” he said while terming the budget as “hollow claims.”
Peoples Conference (PC) Chairman and MLA Handwara, Sajad Gani Lone, while reacting to the Chief Minister’s speech wrote on X: “The budget speech was on expected lines a disappointment. Same old style of parroting Centrally Sponsored Schemes with Hindi nomenclature. Vast gulf between electoral political innuendos and economic arithmetics of Budget. Glorified and endorsed the BJP Naya Kashmir discourse and statistics, that have been berated by NC in the last decade. All of a sudden every government statistic of the past 5 years is the gospel truth and the incumbent government seems eager to jump into the frame and take credit for those statistics which until the other day they told all of us —-were either fudged or fiction.”
“I was expecting a politically viable & economically vibrant budget rather than an annual statement of outlay & expenditure. Even 200 units of electricity promised is for AAY only and linked to the Centrally Sponsored Roof Top scheme which has appx 65% central share with a cap of 3 KV. Too many strings attached,” he wrote and added that “Linking social welfare payments to DA means we have to pray for a miraculous zero inflation for real increase,” he added.
“This budget is bereft of anything visible which will impact the lives of common man positively. Petrol and diesel prices set to increase by Rs 1/ Lt and Rs 2/ Lt respectively due to reduction in rebate on petrol and diesel,” he wrote.
“Nothing for employment Nothing for daily Wagers Nothing for contractual employees Nothing for minimum wages Shifting of police budget was mentioned as if it was an achievement. The soul of statehood which we believe was stolen from us, was relegated to yet another statistic. If the LG address was a political relegation of aspirations, this budget is a statistical relegation of aspirations,” Lone wrote further.
“And hang on— here is some good news. The PM, The HM and the Union Finance Minister were praised more than once. Saga of love letter continues. This love letter to BJP part II,” he wrote.
Awami Ittehad Party (AIP) strongly criticized the Jammu and Kashmir Budget 2025, calling it a “complete U-turn” from the promises made by the National Conference (NC) during elections.
AIP Chief Spokesperson Inam Un Nabi accused the NC government of deceiving the people by failing to fulfil key pledges. “During the elections, they promised 200 units of free electricity for all households. But now, they have limited it to Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) beneficiaries, that too with the unrealistic condition of installing solar panels. This is nothing but a cruel joke on the economically weaker sections,” he said.
The AIP leader also slammed the government for neglecting thousands of workers awaiting job security. “During elections, the NC promised regularization of daily wagers, casual laborers, contractual employees, vocational trainers and others. Yet, this budget has absolutely no mention of them. These hardworking individuals, who form the backbone of various departments, have been left in limbo once again,” he said.
Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) legislative leader and MLA Pulwama, Waheed Parra expressed “deep disappointment” over the budget, calling it a mere compilation of centrally sponsored schemes rather than a people-centric financial roadmap.
Parra criticized the budget for failing to address critical issues like poverty alleviation, unemployment, and economic revival. “This budget is nothing but a U-turn from the commitments made in the election manifesto. Instead of prioritizing grassroots development, it merely repackages old schemes without any substantial allocations or vision for the future,” he said.
Para pointed out that despite tall promises of a transformative economic strategy, the budget falls short on key sectors such as agriculture, youth employment, and social welfare, raising serious concerns about the government’s intent in fulfilling its electoral pledges.
He slammed the government for sidelining the aspirations of the youth, calling the budget a complete letdown. “With an allocation of Rs 1.12 lakh crore, one would expect a clear roadmap for tackling unemployment, economic recovery, and public welfare. Shockingly, the budget does not even mention crucial terms like ‘youth’ or ‘unemployment’ at a time when J&K’s jobless rate stands at a staggering 32%,” he stated.
He accused the government of betraying the region’s youth, who had been waiting for decisive action. “Instead of being a step towards empowerment and development, this budget is merely an exercise in numbers, offering no real relief to the common citizen.”
Another PDP leader, Iltija Mufti while speaking to the media persons said that the budget presented by the government was quite disappointing, saying that the National Conference (NC) government has completely failed to deliver on its promises.
“Nothing has been mentioned for the daily wagers. NC has failed to deliver on the promises done with the people. The party has taken a different direction, it is a complete reversal on their part as whatever they had promised including one lakh jobs, 12 gas cylinders, none of the promises have been fulfilled while only 5 per cent people have been given benefits of free electricity units and ration,” she said.
Meanwhile, State Secretary CPI(M) Mohamad Abass Rather said that the budget, presented in the J&K Assembly after seven years, had raised significant public expectations.
However, the necessary financial support from the Government of India was not provided as required, leaving the concerns of farmers and daily wagers unaddressed. Nonetheless, the party welcomes provisions such as free ration and free electricity under AAY. But electricity woes continue unabated with frequent power cuts in the region which needs to be addressed, he said.
Peoples Democratic Front (PDF) Chairman Hakeem Mohammad Yaseen strongly criticized Chief Minister Omar Abdullah for what he termed as a “misleading and deceptive” budget that has ignored the majority of Jammu and Kashmir’s population.
In a statement, Yaseen said that the Rs 1.12 lakh crore budget presented by CM Omar Abdullah for the fiscal year 2025-26 has completely neglected the key concerns of the common people.
He said Jammu and Kashmir National Conference (JKNC) is betraying public trust by offering selective relief that does not address the broader economic hardships faced by the people of the region. “It is unfortunate that the ruling government has chosen to deceive the people of Jammu and Kashmir once again. The budget lacks a holistic approach and fails to provide relief to a significant portion of the population,” Yaseen said.
Criticizing the government’s focus on AAY families alone, he added, “Providing relief to only AAY beneficiaries while ignoring the rest of the population is nothing but an attempt to mislead the people. This is a classic case of selective appeasement that does not address the deep-rooted economic distress faced by the majority,” the senior PDF leader said.
Yaseen also lambasted the government’s announcement of 200 units of free electricity for AAY families, calling it an inadequate measure. “This so-called relief is nothing but eyewash. We demand that the government completely waive off the electricity bills for all households up to 200 units, irrespective of category. The people of Jammu and Kashmir have suffered enough due to the economic downturn and high living costs,” Hakeem said. (KNO)