MP Assembly to discuss supplementary budget on 3rd day of winter session

Bhopal (The Uttam Hindu): On the third day of the Madhya Pradesh Assembly's winter session, legislators will deliberate on the supplementary budget presented by the state government. The supplementary budget was presented on Tuesday and discussion will be taken up today on Wednesday. Deputy Chief Minister and Finance Minister Jagdish Devda introduced the first supplementary budget for the current financial year, amounting to R22,460 crore. This includes provisions of Rs 13,130 crore under the revenue head and Rs 9,329 crore under the capital head. The funds are allocated for various developmental initiatives across departments. The budget presentation has sparked a political row over the state's financial health. The Opposition Congress, both within and outside the House, has accused the ruling BJP government of driving the state towards bankruptcy due to mounting debt. Chief Minister Mohan Yadav will attend the discussion, for which Assembly Speaker Narendra Singh Tomar has allocated four hours. The session is expected to witness heated exchanges, as the Congress has repeatedly alleged that the BJP government is burdening the state with unsustainable debt. On Tuesday, Congress legislators, led by Leader of the Opposition Umang Singhar, staged a symbolic protest on the Assembly premises, carrying begging bowls. They claimed that despite accumulating massive debt, the state's infrastructure and public services have seen no substantial improvement. The Congress further alleged that the BJP-led government borrowed Rs 7,500 crore in the past two months alone, with the total debt from 2021 to 2024 amounting to Rs 1.22 lakh crore from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). According to their estimates, Madhya Pradesh's total debt now exceeds Rs 4 lakh crore. In response, Deputy Chief Minister Rajendra Shukla defended the government's borrowing, stating it remains within the permissible limit of 3 per cent of the state's GDP, as prescribed by fiscal norms. The supplementary budget discussion is likely to set the tone for an intense political showdown in the House.