Congress general secretary Randeep Singh Surjewala on Tuesday said that the state is on the verge of a “financial emergency.” He claimed that the state’s debt has increased by 456 per cent in the past 12 years.
Reacting to the state budget proposals tabled by Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini in the Assembly on Monday, Surjewala said the “facade” of deception has been exposed. He alleged that the Budget 2026–27 reflects a “vicious attack” on the welfare of the people of Haryana. He said that during the past 12 years under the BJP government, the state’s debt has increased sharply by 456 per cent. Surjewala made the remarks while addressing reporters in Chandigarh.
According to him, when the BJP came to power in 2014, Haryana’s total debt stood at Rs 70,925 crore. By 2026–27, he claimed, the debt will rise to nearly Rs 4 lakh crore. This means an increase of about Rs 3.23 lakh crore in just 12 years.
Surjewala further claimed that for the past 12 years the BJP government has borrowed about Rs 74 crore every day. He said this amounts to Rs 3.08 crore every hour and about Rs 5,14,000 every minute. According to him, every citizen of Haryana now carries a debt burden of around Rs 1,40,911. He alleged that the government is taking fresh loans every year just to repay earlier borrowings. In 2025–26, he said, the government took loans of about Rs 98,000 crore and used Rs 64,042 crore of it to repay previous debt. “Yet, they cleverly declared in the budget that only Rs 36,376 crore was borrowed. This was exposed by CAG report," he claimed.
He also referred to the Fiscal Health Index prepared by NITI Aayog. According to him, Haryana has been ranked 14th among 18 states, even below Bihar.
Based on these factors, Surjewala alleged that Haryana is heading towards a financial emergency.
Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini had presented the state budget for 2026–27 on Monday. The budget has an outlay of Rs 2.23 lakh crore. Saini said the budget reflects the aspirations of every citizen of Haryana.
Surjewala also alleged that the government has reduced allocations for several social security schemes in the upcoming fiscal year. "After boasting and chest thumping about increasing old age pensions for the elderly, the BJP government has drastically slashed the budget for 'Buzurg Samman Pension' by 40.74 per cent in budget 2026-27, a cut of Rs 2,730 crore. In 2025-26 Budget (revised), the budget for Old Age Pensions was Rs 6,700 crore. In 2026-27 budget, it has been reduced to Rs 3,970 crore," Surjewala said.
He alleged that the BJP government is preparing to reduce old-age pensions for lakhs of elderly citizens. Surjewala also said that the allocation for widows and destitute women has been reduced by Rs 685 crore."In 2025-26 budget (revised), the budget under this head was Rs 2,960 crore. In 2026-27 budget it has been slashed to Rs 2,275 crore. The pension for Persons with Disabilities (DIVYANG) has also been cut by Rs 136 crore, from Rs 651 crore in 2025-26 Budget (revised) to Rs 515 crore in 2026-27," he further added.
He further claimed that the budget for the Dr Shyama Prasad Mookerjee Accident Assistance Scheme has been reduced by 86 per cent. The allocation has fallen from Rs 1.50 crore in 2025–26 to only Rs 20 lakh in the 2026–27 budget.
Surjewala said the budget for the Mukhya Mantri Matritva Sahayata Yojana has also been reduced by 33 per cent. According to him, the allocation has dropped from Rs 30 crore in 2025–26 to Rs 20 crore in 2026–27. He alleged that similar reductions have been made in several other welfare schemes.
Referring to the BJP’s promise ahead of the 2024 Haryana Assembly elections, Surjewala said the party had assured that all women in the state would receive Rs 2,100 per month under the Lado Lakshmi Scheme. He said that with around 95 lakh women in Haryana, the scheme would require nearly Rs 23,000 crore annually.
Surjewala said that in the 2025–26 budget, Chief Minister Saini had announced Rs 5,000 crore for the scheme and promoted it widely through advertisements. However, he claimed that the 2026–27 budget shows that 86 per cent of the amount was never allotted or released. "Only 14 per cent, that is Rs 728 crore, was actually disbursed under this scheme in 2025-26 Budget. This time (Budget 2026-27), the government has again made boisterous claims by announcing Rs 6,500 crore, but it is nothing except a web of deception," Surjewala alleged.
Also read: CM Saini tables Rs 2.23L crore budget for 2026-27
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