Haryana CM Saini holds pre-budget consultation, Opposition ‘skips’ meet

Chandigarh: Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini held a consultation meeting ahead of the state Budget in Panchkula with ministers, and ruling party MLAs and MPs from the state.

Saini later told reporters that all Haryana MLAs and MPs were invited to this consultation, but the Opposition leaders did not attend.

Had they participated, they could have given constructive suggestions for Haryana’s development, he said.

However, they can still send their suggestions, which will be incorporated in the Haryana Budget 2026-2027, the Chief Minister clarified.

“We invited all MLAs, MPs for pre-budget consultations. Last year, all MLAs came. This time, the opposition legislators did not come,” Saini said.

Haryana’s Energy, Transport and Labour minister Anil Vij, while speaking to reporters after the meeting, remarked that perhaps the opposition had “nothing to say”, as earlier, they used to participate in such meetings.

Referring to previous occasions, Congress leader Bhupinder Singh Hooda on Sunday said Opposition gives several important suggestions to the state government pertaining to the budget, but they “never implement” those.

“The Opposition has sent several important suggestions to this government regarding the budget, focusing on public welfare, but the BJP has not acted on any of them till date,” the Leader of the Opposition in the Haryana Assembly said.

Saini told reporters: “Last time, (all) the MLAs gave 500-550 suggestions and nearly 275 suggestions were incorporated in the budget.”

He added that all suggestions received from the public and legislators will be seriously considered to prepare a budget that brings trust and hope to every citizen of Haryana.

About the preparation of the 2026-27 Haryana Budget, Saini, who also holds the finance portfolio, said through the AI-based app launched on January 6 for pre-budget consultations, more than 9,000 suggestions have been received so far, and valuable inputs will be incorporated into the Budget, as was done last year.