Jammu: All the main opposition parties, BJP, PDP and JKPC expressed dissatisfaction over the J&K UT Budget presented by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, who also holds the portfolio of Finance Minister.
Leader of Opposition (LoP) and senior BJP leader Sunil Sharma described the budget as “National Conference-centric” and “anti-people”.
“This is a budget for NC MLAs. There is nothing in it for the common people of Jammu and Kashmir,” Sharma said, alleging funds allocated by the Centre were diverted to NC-held constituencies.
He accused the government of betraying daily wagers by failing to announce a clear, time-bound regularisation policy and ignoring the most serious issue of unemployment in the UT, adding, nearly 24,000 jobs have been outsourced with no written exam or transparent process.
“The Budget is deceptive and disappointing,” Sharma said.
Calling it a bureaucrats’ Budget, JK People’s Conference (PC) president and Handwara MLA Sajad Lone said that it is as good or as bad as it was last time.
“ It’s a budget by bureaucrats, and there is no political input in it,” Lone said, adding that it reflects “repeated gratitude to the Centre” but “no independent policy framework”.
He questioned the government’s claims of financial limitations, saying, “Are there any restrictions in the budget? There are none,” Lone said, accusing the administration of diluting the earlier promise of 12 free LPG cylinders to poor families.
PDP leader and MLA Pulwama Waheed-ur-Rehman Parra termed the budget “hopeless and vague”, saying it offers “no healing or hope” to the people.
“There is nothing for the youth, even though 60–65 per cent of our population is young,” Parra said, adding that local youth were ignored as “24,000 posts have been outsourced” while “six lakh outside labourers” work in J&K.
He said promises made in the previous budget, including free gas cylinders, remain unfulfilled. “A budget reflects intent, and that intent is missing,” he said.
