BHUBANESWAR: Leader of Opposition Naveen Patnaik on Friday sharply criticised the budget presented by Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, describing it as a “full menu in an empty kitchen”.
Alleging that the BJP government was pushing the state towards mounting debt and financial instability despite making tall promises to the people, Patnaik said it was “quite disappointing” and accused the BJP’s double-engine government of taking Odisha in the reverse direction. He claimed that the rising borrowing would impose a heavy financial burden on future generations.
“Welcome to a new era where every newborn child in Odisha will be welcomed with a per-capita loan burden of nearly Rs 30,000,” Patnaik said, warning that the state’s total debt was likely to touch Rs 1.30 lakh crore soon.
The BJD president asserted that during his tenure as chief minister, the state had emerged as one of the best-managed states due to prudent fiscal management. “When the BJD government assumed office, Odisha’s revenues were used to repay loans and service debts, leaving little for development. With years of meticulous planning and fiscal prudence, we reduced the loan burden drastically. Financially, we were the best managed state in country,” he said.
Patnaik alleged that the BJP government’s borrowing trend could strain the state’s finances and derail its development momentum. He also expressed concern over what he described as declining central assistance to Odisha over the past two years. “People had hoped the double-engine government would bring double benefits, including higher grant-in-aid from the Centre. Unfortunately, central remittances are shrinking year after year,” he said.
While acknowledging that the budget speech paid tribute to farmers, the leader of Opposition said it fell short of addressing their real challenges. He described the budget as lacking substance despite its ambitious announcements. “In short, the budget is like a full menu in an empty kitchen,” Patnaik remarked, adding that the financial plan failed to present a realistic roadmap for sustainable development and welfare of the people. He said the people of Odisha expected concrete measures to strengthen the economy, support farmers and safeguard the state’s fiscal health but unfortunately central government remittances to Odisha are shrinking year after year, especially during last two years.
Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) president Bhakta Charan Das questioned the logic behind significantly expanding the budget size for the upcoming year when the government is unable to utilise half of the budget.
“The state government has managed to spend only 57 per cent of the funds allocated for 2025-26 during the first 10 months of the current financial year. How can the remaining 43 per cent be utilised in just the last five weeks?” he asked.