Chandigarh, Mar 17 (PTI) Opposition Congress and Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) on Monday dubbed the state budget as "empty rhetoric" that has nothing for the farmers and labourers.

Reacting to the budget presented for the financial year 2025-26, Congress leader and former chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda said it was full of empty rhetoric and jugglery of figures.

In a statement, Hooda alleged the government has cut the budget of all the departments providing essential services, including agriculture, irrigation, education and health, among others.

"Not only this, this budget is silent on all the issues like BJP's election promises, 2 lakh jobs, giving MSP to farmers, controlling inflation," he said.

Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini on Monday presented a tax-free Rs 2.05 lakh crore budget for the upcoming financial year, making various announcements, including earmarking Rs 5,000 crore for 'Lado Lakshmi Yojana' and setting up an authority to tackle drug abuse.

Saini did not impose any fresh tax in the budget, whose special focus included sectors like agriculture, education, health, women empowerment and infrastructure.

Hooda said the BJP had promised to give farmers Rs 3,100 per quintal on paddy before the elections.

"Neither did BJP keep this promise after forming the government nor did it make any such provision in this year's budget," he said.

He also accused the ruling party of deliberately exaggerating the estimated budget only for it to reduce it in the revised budget later.

"For example, last time BJP had presented an estimated budget of Rs 189,876 crores, which was later revised to Rs 180,313 crores, lower by almost Rs 10,000 crore," he pointed out.

The Congress heavyweight also alleged that this budget is going to put further financial strain on people "who are already burdened with a debt of Rs 4.5 lakh crores." He said the government will have to spend Rs 26,231 crore just to pay the interest on the loan taken by the government in this financial year.

"The state had a debt of about 60,000 crores from 1966 to 2014, which is now 4.5 lakh crores, and it is going to increase even more in 2025," the former CM alleged.

Congress General Secretary and MP Randeep Singh Surjewala also criticised the budget and called it a "bundle of despair".

"It is a directionless hollow budget, and this budget neither worries about the problems of the present nor about the future. Unemployment, inflation, youth, women, farmers, village issues are all absent," Surjewala claimed.

INLD General Secretary Abhay Singh Chautala claimed that there is nothing in the budget for farmers, labourers and small traders.

"Many schemes have been announced in the previous budget, too, but no work has been done till now. BJP had promised to give Rs 2,100 per month to women as soon as the government was formed, but in today's budget, only a provision has been made, whereas they should have started giving the promised amount now," he said. PTI SUN -- AMJ AMJ

Budget allocation criticism: opposition says the plan omits promised support for farmers and priority social services. The article summarizes opposition criticism that the state budget omits concrete fiscal measures promised to farmers, labourers and women, reduces allocations for essential services, and may be structured to allow later downward revisions; it also notes concerns about rising public debt and interest obligations despite the budget being tax-free and containing targeted scheme allocations.