A symbolic barrage unfolded in Bhopal’s assembly grounds as Madhya Pradesh Congress MLAs wielded empty piggy banks to protest the state’s crippling debt load. Led by Opposition Leader Umang Singhar on budget session day three, the action zeroed in on governance failures fueling fiscal chaos.
Assembling at Mahatma Gandhi’s statue with slogan-laden boards, protesters decried a debt exceeding Rs 5 lakh crore—more than the budget itself. Singhar lambasted recent Rs 5,600 crore loans, labeling them as harbingers of collapse. “The government’s number games hide a treasury raided by its own,” he roared.
He shredded the economic survey’s claims of high per capita incomes (Rs 15-20k monthly), insisting they bear no resemblance to lived hardships amid rampant inflation. Every societal stratum reels from this ‘debt yoke,’ with tax money allegedly diverted to elite gains over genuine progress.
Demanding a comprehensive white paper, Singhar framed the crisis as a betrayal of public trust. This protest, rich in metaphor, underscores Congress’s bid to reclaim economic discourse from the ruling party.
As echoes of the demonstration linger, it poses tough questions for policymakers. Can the government pivot from borrowing to building? For now, the empty piggy banks serve as a stark reminder of Madhya Pradesh’s precarious financial ledge.