Bihar budgets presented have consistently been "anti-poor": RJD leader Kumar Sarvjeet

Sarvjeet argued that if the budget was truly beneficial, millions of people wouldn't have been forced to migrate out of Bihar in search of better opportunities.

Speaking to the reporters, Sarvjeet said, "The budgets that have been presented here have always been anti-poor. Had it been a good budget, crores of people would not have migrated from Bihar..."

Opposition leaders held protests outside the state Assembly during the Bihar assembly budget.

Bihar's government on Monday unveiled a whopping Rs 3.17 lakh crore budget for the financial year 2025-26, marking a significant 13.6% increase from the previous year's Rs 2.79 lakh crore allocation.

This budget, presented by Deputy Chief Minister and Finance Minister Samrat Choudhary, holds special significance as it's the ruling government's last budget before the state elections later this year.

The substantial hike in budget allocation is expected to bolster various sectors, including infrastructure development, social welfare, human development, and administrative purposes.

Notably, the Union Budget 2025-26 has also announced significant investments in Bihar, including greenfield airports, expansion of Patna airport, and the Western Koshi Canal Project in Mithilanchal.

As the state prepares for elections, this budget will likely play a crucial role in shaping the government's narrative and appeal to voters.

A day ahead of the state Budget, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav, on Sunday, said that the state provides the lowest social security pension in the country, and demanded an increase in the pension amount from Rs 400 to Rs 1,500 per month, emphasising the need for stronger welfare measures.

"Bihar gets the lowest social security pension in the country. We demand that it be increased from Rs 400 to Rs 1500 in the Budget. According to the National Family Health Survey, 65 per cent of women in Bihar, which is the highest number in the country, are anaemic. As males are migrating, all the burden to run the house is on women. The number of children suffering from stunted growth is the highest in Bihar."

"Their (NDA) government has not paid any attention to this yet. They can copy our 'Mai Behen Maan Yojana' if they want, but they should deposit Rs 2500 in the accounts of mothers and sisters, and we will also make efforts for it," he added.

"People have LPG cylinders but cannot refill them because of inflation, so we will ask the government to increase the subsidy on LPG up to 500. We have awarded five lakh joining letters and have three lakh recruitment underway; but since then, all recruitment processes have stagnated. So, we want Nitish Kumar to fulfil it," added Yadav.

As Bihar gears up for Assembly polls later this year, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, on February 26, expanded his Cabinet with seven Bharatiya Janata Party MLAs taking oath as ministers.

Sanjay Saraogi, Sunil Kumar, Jibesh Mishra, Krishna Kumar Mantoo, Motilal Prasad, Vijay Kumar Mandal and Raju Kumar Singh took oath as ministers. Bihar Assembly elections are expected to take place in October-November 2025. (ANI)