Madhya Pradesh Congress Leaders Take Begging Bowls To Assembly. Here’s Why

Members of the Congress staged a dramatic protest on the second day of the winter session of the Madhya Pradesh Assembly, ratcheting up political tension in the state. Arriving in the assembly carrying begging bowls, the opposition accused the government of burdening the public with massive debt. 

This is the second day of dramatic protests by the Congress. Yesterday the party leaders had arrived carrying sacks of fertilisers, highlighting the plight of farmers, who, they claimed, are suffering from a shortage of fertilisers.

In the assembly, finance minister Jagdish Deora presented a supplementary budget of Rs 22,460 crore.

Outside the Assembly, Congress MLAs raised slogans in front of the Mahatma Gandhi statue, symbolically depicting the plight of the people under mounting loans. 

The opposition alleged that frequent borrowing by the government has pushed the state’s economy to the brink of collapse, forcing citizens into financial hardship.

Leader of the Opposition Umang Singhar criticised the government, accusing it of financial mismanagement and neglecting core issues such as unemployment and farmers’ welfare. 

“The government is taking loans repeatedly but has failed to strengthen the state’s economy,” he said. 

“Young people are struggling for jobs, farmers for fertilizers, and women are waiting for promised financial assistance. They can’t even pay Rs 3,100 for paddy purchase. Where is this money going?” he added. 

Responding to the allegations, BJP MLA Mahendra Singh Yadav defended the government’s borrowing, asserting that the loans are well within permissible limits. 

“It was clarified in the assembly that the government has not taken loans exceeding 3 per cent of GDP. A developed state can borrow within these limits. The Congress is unnecessarily criticising the loans,” he said.

Rising Debt in Madhya Pradesh

Madhya Pradesh’s total debt has surpassed Rs 3,95,000 crore in the ongoing financial year.

Official data indicates that the state carried a debt of Rs 3,75,578 crore at the end of the financial year on March 31, 2024.  In the current fiscal year alone, the government has taken an additional loan of Rs 44,000 crore to meet its financial obligations, pushing the overall debt close to the Rs 4 lakh crore mark.