Jammu Tawi, 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
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’s 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.”
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.
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.
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.
