Opposition leaders in Punjab wasted no time dismantling the 2026-27 state budget presented by Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema on Sunday, dismissing it as meaningless and a betrayal of public trust.
At the forefront was Independent MLA Sandeep Jakhar, who laid bare the government’s track record. ‘The budget is presented, but faith is shattered,’ he proclaimed. Key examples: Zero of the 16 pledged medical colleges built in over four years; MSP for moong and ag policies promised but ignored; Malwa Canal vows evaporated.
The Rs 5 crore MLA fund promise resurfaced, but Jakhar recalled its prior abandonment. ‘AAP’s standard playbook: accuse BJP of partisanship to dodge failures,’ he observed.
Aruna Chaudhary, Congress heavyweight, tore into the numbers. ‘It’s all manipulated stats—no breakthroughs. Election pledges of no new debt and old debt repayment? They’ve borrowed like never before.’
The Rs 2,36,080 crore budget, timed with Women’s Day, launches ‘Mukhyamantri Matayein-Betiyan Satkar Yojana’—Rs 1,000/month for general category women, Rs 1,500 for SC, plus Rs 10 lakh yearly cashless health per family. Health allocation: Rs 5,598 crore, including Rs 778 crore for the scheme.
Punjab’s fiscal future hangs in balance amid these critiques. With debt mounting and promises piling up unkept, the real test lies in execution, not announcements.