Patna (Bihar) [India], March 3 : Former Bihar Deputy Chief Minister and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav on Monday lambasted the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government in the state, criticising the budget presented by the double-engine government to be "hollow".
He said the budget did not address deterring migration from the state, education, or employment. Yadav added that the government did not fulfil the demand to provide Rs 2,500 per month to women in the state.
"Old things are being repeated, and it will have no impact on the people of Bihar. We had demanded under 'Mai Bahin Maan Yojana' that women should be given Rs 2,500 per month. However, the same has not been fulfilled. There was nothing about industry, preventing migration, education or farmers. It was a hollow budget," the former Deputy CM said.
Yadav stated that it was an inflated budget, which wasn't in Bihar's interest. He added that the NDA was only concerned about protecting its government.
"There is no revenue. This is an inflated budget and is not in the interest of Bihar. There is nothing new in the budget. In logo ko asal main sarkar bachane ki chitna hai, aur hum logo ko Bihar ki chinta hai [They (NDA) want to protect their government, and we are worried about the state]," Yadav said.
Bihar's government on Monday unveiled a whopping Rs 3.17 lakh crore budget for the financial year 2025-26, marking a significant 13.6% increase from the previous year's Rs 2.79 lakh crore allocation.
This budget, presented by Deputy Chief Minister and Finance Minister Samrat Choudhary, holds special significance as it's the ruling government's last budget before the state elections later this year.
The substantial hike in budget allocation is expected to bolster various sectors, including infrastructure development, social welfare, human development, and administrative purposes.
Meanwhile, (RJD) leader Kumar Sarvjeet criticised the Bihar state budget, claiming that the budgets presented have consistently been "anti-poor" and failed to address key issues.
Sarvjeet argued that if the budget was truly beneficial, millions of people wouldn't have been forced to migrate out of Bihar in search of better opportunities.
Opposition leaders also held protests outside the state assembly.