Opposition heavyweights in Odisha unleashed a barrage against the state’s 2026-27 budget, calling it a mirage of unfulfilled dreams. BJD chief Naveen Patnaik, in a pointed media briefing, dubbed it ‘a full menu from an empty kitchen,’ questioning its practicality right after CM Mohan Charan Majhi’s assembly tabling.
BJD’s Divya Shankar Mishra led the charge, labeling the budget deficient in fresh directions, funding details, and job-creating mechanisms. ‘Two hours of talk yielded no tangible new steps for the masses,’ he said, bemoaning the void in financial commitments and rollout strategies for various schemes.
The leader hammered home the budget’s blind spots for women, societal advancement, and disadvantaged groups. ‘No dedicated financial backing for key programs. SCs, STs overlooked beyond basics; women get handouts only; jobs? Not a single novel approach,’ Mishra critiqued sharply.
Not sparing the BJP, Congress’s Bhakta Charan Das spotlighted fiscal mismanagement. ‘You can’t parade a bloated budget after burning through just 57% of allocations in 10 months. Pledging over ₹20,000 crore? It’s pompous – a colossal elephant with expenditure thinner than a mosquito.’
As acrimony builds, the budget’s fate rests on the government’s ability to convert announcements into action. Odisha, with its mining riches and coastal potential, demands more than rhetoric; it needs a nourished kitchen to feed its people’s aspirations.