Leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari on Friday sharply criticised the state budget during the Assembly session, promising enhanced financial assistance under the Lakshmir Bhandar scheme if the Bharatiya Janata Party comes to power, while also questioning the government’s plan for unemployed youth.
Participating in the budget debate, Adhikari alleged that the government had presented an election manifesto in the guise of a budget. He said a Vote on Account and a full budget are not the same and accused the ruling party of attempting to mislead the public ahead of the upcoming assembly elections.
Focusing on welfare schemes, Adhikari said the budget contained nothing substantial for farmers and ignored the demand for equal pay for equal work. He claimed that those who currently receive ₹1,000 would continue to get the same amount, without any real financial benefit.
Referring to the Lakshmir Bhandar scheme, the Leader of the Opposition announced that if the Bharatiya Janata Party forms the government in the state, it would provide ₹3,000 per month under the scheme, significantly higher than the present amount.
He also criticised the budget’s announcement of ₹1,500 for unemployed youth, calling it inadequate and unrealistic. Adhikari reminded the House about the earlier ‘Yuvashree’ scheme, under which the Chief Minister had promised ₹1,500 per month to one lakh unemployed youth from Netaji Indoor Stadium. He alleged that the scheme had largely failed and described the current ‘Yuvasathi’ programme as ineffective.
Launching a broader attack on the employment situation, Adhikari claimed that 51 employment exchanges in the state were virtually non-functional. He alleged that the government, facing allegations of job scams, had avoided making any concrete provisions for employment generation in the budget. According to him, the administration was moving towards an allowance-based system instead of creating actual jobs.
The session ended on a stormy note, with BJP legislators staging a walkout. The party alleged that Finance Minister Chandrima Bhattacharya made derogatory remarks about BJP leader Ashok Lahiri during her reply to the budget debate.
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