Former CM Hooda calls the Budget empty rhetoric; says BJP has plunged Haryana into a debt of Rs 5.56 lakh crore

Chandigarh, March 2, 2026: Former Chief Minister and Leader of the Opposition Bhupinder Singh Hooda said that this is not a budget, but empty rhetoric, containing no reality, just rhetoric. He was reacting to the budget presented by Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini.

Hooda said the BJP has burdened Haryana with a debt of Rs 5.56 lakh crore, because according to the 2026-27 budget, the internal debt is Rs 3,91,435 crore. Small savings are estimated at ₹50,000 crore, public sector enterprises at ₹68,995 crore (as of 2025-26), and additional liabilities (due electricity bills and subsidies) at ₹46,193 crore. This brings the state's total debt to approximately ₹556,623 crore, reflecting the severe financial pressure and the deteriorating state of the economy.

Speaking on the Lado Laxmi Yojana, Hooda said the estimated number of women aged 18 to 60 in the state is 8,250,000 (82.5 lakh). “If each woman is given an allowance of ₹2,100 per month under this scheme, the total estimated amount for the entire year (12 months) would be approximately ₹20,790 crore (approximately ₹20,000 crore),” he said.

“However, the 2026-27 budget has allocated only ₹6,500 crore for this scheme. This clearly shows that the budgeted amount can only cover approximately 31.25% of women, meaning that approximately 67.5% of women have been excluded from the scheme or will not be able to benefit,” he pointed out.

Hooda said the state's new budget is ₹2,23,658 crore, a 9% increase from the previous budget of ₹205,017 crore for 2025-26. “However, due to the state's inflation rate of approximately 5%, the actual increase is only around 4%. This means that the claim of a 10% increase is completely misleading,” he said.

The former Chief Minister said that according to the budget, the government is raising an internal debt of ₹76,250 crore, while the debt repayment (principal ₹36,101 crore + interest ₹29,566 crore) totals ₹65,667 crore. This leaves only ₹10,593 crore for other expenditures.

“Rs 22,914 crore has been allocated for education (including primary, secondary, and higher education), which is only 6.2% of the total budget. This represents only 1.9% of the GSDP, while the new education policy recommends spending 6% on education,” he said.

“Rs 14,007 crore has been allocated for health, which is only 6.2% of the total budget. According to the National Health Policy 2017, at least 8% of the budget expenditure should be devoted to health. Furthermore, this represents only 1.1% of the GSDP, while the policy requires 2.5%,” he added.

He said that the expenditure on agriculture is only 4.8% of the total expenditure, even though 70% of the state's population depends on agriculture. This situation reflects the neglect of the agricultural sector.

As for capital expenditure, after debt repayments and various advance payments, only ₹21,756 crore remains for capital expenditure, representing a mere 9.7% of the total budget. These new medical colleges, roads, bridges, and other projects announced in the budget are insufficiently funded.

HOOda said that the Capital expenditure accounts for only 28% of total expenditure, while the majority of borrowed funds are being used for current consumption and repaying old loans. This is impacting capital formation and development activities, and hindering the state's economic growth.

He said the budget figures themselves and the Chief Minister's speech reflect frustration. “The government has no plan to control inflation, no plan to create employment, no provision for MSP for farmers, and no funds to strengthen infrastructure,” he said.

Former CM said the BJP presented incomplete figures on per capita income. He stated how much income increased under the BJP government, but he did not mention how rapidly the income growth was under the Congress government. “During the Congress government, per capita income increased from approximately ₹37,000 to approximately ₹150,000, a four-fold increase. However, during the BJP's 10 years, it only increased by two times. This means that if the per capita income had increased at the same pace as the Congress government, Haryana's per capita income would be approximately ₹6-7 lakh today. Currently, it is only ₹3-4 lakh,” he stated.

Hooda said that this government is completely silent on employment generation, and even the Chief Minister himself has admitted that the IMTs established by the Congress government to promote industry and employment in Haryana are in a very poor condition. “Consequently, not only are new industries and new investments failing to emerge in Haryana, but even existing industries are fleeing. This is why Haryana has become number one in unemployment,” he added.

He said that after 11 years in power, the government has remembered to clean the Yamuna, while Haryana has remained the most air- and water-polluted state in the country throughout the BJP's tenure.

“Not only this, the Chief Minister clearly admitted that the government in Haryana is unable to provide adequate water to the people and agriculture. Despite this, he made no mention of taking over Haryana's share of SYL water from Punjab,” he pointed out.