Bhopal, February 19 The opposition Congress staged a protest on Thursday at the Madhya Pradesh assembly premises against the BJP-led state government's "false" and "empty" promises.
Led by Leader of the Opposition Umang Singhar, Congress MLAs held a demonstration in front of the Mahatma Gandhi statue located outside the assembly building.
Holding placards, the legislators raised slogans and accused the government of serving "wishful thinking" to the public in the name of grand promises.
Singhar told reporters that the BJP government in the state is solely relying on "false" and "empty" promises, while the situation on the ground is completely different.
He alleged that the government has made several job announcements, but recruitment has not been completed in the past two years, leading to a steadily increasing number of unemployed youth.
In the name of employment, youth are only being given promises and "wishful thinking," he said.
The opposition leader said that the government had promised to provide Rs 3,000 per month to women under the Ladli Behna scheme, but has yet to deliver on that promise.
The general public is being burdened by mounting electricity bills despite the government claiming relief to people, he said. Hospitals in Madhya Pradesh are facing a shortage of doctors and medicines, contrary to what the government claims, he claimed.
"Similarly, farmers are struggling to access fertilizers and seeds, but the government is still showing them dreams of prosperity," he said.
Only assurances have been given on the issue of 27 per cent reservation for Other Backward Classes (OBCs), he said. The state's education system is in a shambles, but instead of addressing real problems, the government is resorting to announcements and false promises, he said.
"This protest is a fight for their (people's) rights, dignity, and future. The Congress will continue to highlight every public issue and raise its voice from the assembly to the streets," he said.
Meanwhile, reacting to the budget presented on Wednesday, former chief minister Kamal Nath told reporters on the assembly premises that "it was not a wise one, but a misguided one".
He said that the state has accumulated a debt of Rs 5 lakh crore. In the current financial year alone, loans of more than Rs 70,000 crore were taken, he claimed. "The government is spending Rs 27,000 crore every year just to pay off the interest on the loans," he added.
