Bhubaneswar, Nov 29 (IANS) The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), on Saturday, sharply rebutted the Odisha Leader of Opposition and Biju Janata Dal (BJD) Chief Naveen Patnaik’s criticism of the state’s Supplementary Budget, with party MLA Irasis Acharya demanding that the former Chief Minister present facts on the floor of the Assembly instead of making baseless comments.

BJP MLA Acharya said that the Supplementary Budget includes adequate allocations for key areas, including agriculture, women and child development, education, and health.

Responding to Naveen Patnaik’s charges, the BJP legislator said that since the Assembly session is underway, any allegation must be raised on the floor of the House for official scrutiny.

“The former Chief Minister can come to the Assembly and question us (the BJP government) directly. We are fully prepared to counter all unfounded criticisms. Making statements on social media will not help — he must present facts,” Acharya said.

“When the main budget was presented, we had committed projects worth nearly Rs 2 lakh crore. The Supplementary Budget has an additional outlay of Rs 17,400 crore. Our (BJP) government has always prioritised women, education, and health,” the BJP legislator added.

The legislator asserted that Odisha is currently on a strong growth path, noting the state’s annual budget now exceeds Rs 3 lakh crore.

“Higher expenditure means higher development. If money is being spent, it clearly shows work is happening,” he said, attributing the increase in outlay to developmental projects.

BJP MLA Acharya asserted that the BJP government is committed to transparency, development, and efficient utilisation of public funds.

Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, who also holds the Finance department portfolio, presented the Rs 17,440 crore Supplementary Budget in the state Assembly on Friday.

Naveen Patnaik, through a social media post on Saturday, asserted that the new BJP government’s first Supplementary Budget lacks any major infrastructure initiative or long-term vision, and is disappointing citizens hoping for significant progress in the first full year of office.

The former Chief Minister alleged that the fiscal document pushes Odisha further towards a “fiscal deficit trap”, even as administrative expenditure shrinks and the state’s debt burden continues its upward trend.

“Except for allocations to the Works Department (Rs 900 crore) and a few urban infrastructure projects, there is nothing substantial in this budget,” he said in the post.

The former Chief Minister claimed the state government tabled the Supplementary Budget merely to “hide the declining Central assistance and its own inefficiency”, adding, “This Supplementary Budget is not in the interest of the people of Odisha, and it is merely an additional effort to mislead them.”

–IANS

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