Chandigarh, March 17 Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini launched a scathing attack on the Congress in the Assembly on Tuesday, accusing it of engaging in "political maneuvering" and making unsubstantiated accusations.
The Haryana Assembly witnessed heated exchanges after the main opposition party, the Congress, raised concerns about the Rajya Sabha elections, alleging "undemocratic practices".
During the debate, the House saw frequent disruptions, a brief adjournment, and the Speaker naming eight Congress MLAs before the opposition party members walked out.
Responding to the discussion on the state budget, Saini said the opposition seems unable to grasp the pace of development in the state and is misinterpreting the budget.
Taking strong exception to the remarks made by senior Congress member Raghuvir Kadian, who accused the BJP of manipulating the Rajya Sabha election process and alleged vote theft, the Chief Minister said these claims are baseless and unfortunate.
Saini argued that these allegations are misleading and irresponsible.
Congress's Kadian, alleging "undemocratic practices," stated that with no chance for an independent candidate to win, the BJP still allowed Satish Nandal to contest, casting doubt on their intentions.
BJP's Sanjay Bhatia (58) and Karamvir Singh Boudh (61) of the Congress were elected to the Rajya Sabha from Haryana in the elections held on Monday, in which Nandal also contested but narrowly lost to the opposition candidate.
After the Congress walked out, Saini sharply criticized, stating that instead of engaging in constructive discussion, "making unsubstantiated accusations and running away" has become the habit of the Congress.
The Congress has no substantive issues to raise and is resorting to unfounded criticism, he claimed, adding that the opposition is not interested in offering constructive suggestions but is focused on spreading misinformation and walking out of the House.
The Chief Minister stated that the BJP had successfully ensured the election of its candidate, Sanjay Bhatia, to the Rajya Sabha.
On the Congress claiming that Nandal was made to contest as an Independent by the BJP, Saini asserted that in a democracy, every individual has the right to contest elections, and supporting an Independent candidate is well within democratic norms.
He stated that the Independent candidate had approached them for support, which they provided.
Rejecting the opposition's claims of a looming debt crisis, Saini said a false narrative is being deliberately spread to mislead the public, asserting that a comparison with Punjab clearly shows that Haryana's financial position is significantly stronger and more balanced.
He stressed that the assessment of a state's economy cannot be based on emotional remarks, but must rest on facts, data, and credible comparisons.
On the Sutlej Yamuna Link (SYL) canal issue, Saini pointed out that the Haryana government has made a provision of Rs 100 crore for the canal construction in the Budget 2026-27. Therefore, the opposition's allegation that there is no mention of the SYL canal in the budget is completely baseless, he asserted.
Saini said that during the budget discussion, members of the Congress stated that they had been reading the budget speech for three days and found no mention of the SYL canal.
They also claimed that in nearly 60 years of Haryana's formation, there has never been a budget without a reference to the SYL canal.
The Chief Minister clarified that in the Budget 2026-27 documents, Volume III, which presents detailed estimates of capital expenditure, a provision of Rs 100 crore has been clearly made under the sub-head for the construction of the SYL canal.
He further stated that as per the records of budget speeches during the Congress tenure from 2005 to 2014, the SYL canal was mentioned in only two years -- 2005-06 and 2006-07. In the remaining eight budget speeches, the term SYL was not mentioned at all, he said.
Rejecting the opposition's allegations about a lack of consultation with farmers for the state budget for 2026-27, Saini termed such claims "completely misleading".
The state government is working at four times the pace, with a clear focus on securing the future of the coming generations and building a 'Viksit Haryana' well before 2047, said Saini.
Taking a swipe at the opposition, the Chief Minister said that Congress leaders appear increasingly disconnected from grassroots realities and remain confined to five-star hotels and air-conditioned spaces, which, he added, explains their inability to appreciate the transformative intent of the budget.
He questioned whether any of its finance ministers had ever presented a vision extending even two years ahead, while reiterating that the present government's policies are designed with a long-term developmental perspective.