Srinagar, Mar 7: Opposition parties in Kashmir criticised the budget presented by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Friday, with the PDP saying it exposed the gap between the ruling National Conference’s promises and the reality of their governance, while the BJP terming it a “complete failure.”
In a statement, the People’s Democratic Party said the people of Jammu and Kashmir deserve honest governance, “not broken promises.”
“This exposes the massive gap between the promises made in the National Conference’s election manifesto and the reality of their governance. They had assured 200 units of free electricity for every household, creating hopes among the people of J-K.
“However, the budget announcement proves that their promise was nothing more than an election gimmick,” the party said, referring to the announcement of 200 free electricity units to families under AAY — the Centre’s Antyodaya Awas Yojana.
The party said that by “limiting” the benefit only to AAY ration card holders, the government has effectively excluded a vast majority of the state’s population.
“Out of 16 lakh ration card holders, merely 95,000 will benefit, which is just 5-7 percent of the total population. This raises serious questions like why did he government mislead people during the elections? Why was this scheme not extended to all households, as originally promised? Why were 1,27,000 AAY ration card holders removed from the list right before this announcement?” the PDP said.
It said this selective approach “exposes their anti-people policies.”
The party added, “If they truly intended to help the people of J-K, they should have ensured that their promise was fulfilled in its entirety, rather than shrinking the beneficiaries to a fraction of what was originally committed.”
BJP accused the NC government of “deceiving” the people of the Union Territory.
“The budget is nothing but jumla bazi and a stark betrayal of the promises made during the elections. Where are the 12 free gas cylinders that Omar Abdullah promised? Where is the one lakh job guarantee? Where is the free ration? This budget is a cruel joke on the people of J&K,” BJP’s J-K spokesperson Altaf Thakur said in a statement.
The BJP leader also slammed the government for offering 200 units of free electricity only to AAY beneficiaries, which he said covers just 1.5 percent of J-K’s population.
“This is outright deception. Omar Abdullah came to power by making grand announcements, but his government has failed on every front. The people will not forgive this betrayal,” Thakur said.
He said the budget is nothing but a “desperate attempt to cover up the NC government’s incompetence.
Pradesh Congress Committee (JKPCC) President Tariq Hameed Karra on Friday termed the budget presented by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah as “pro-people” and “positive” but stressed the need for a detailed review to identify any gaps.
Karra noted that key social sectors have been addressed, particularly benefiting the poor. However, he refrained from making a final judgment, stating that a thorough assessment is required.