Shortly after Nirmala Sitharaman presented the Budget for the sixth straight time, the Opposition on Thursday slammed the government for ‘anti-people’ Budget, saying that the government should have given a comparative statement on how many promises were made and how many fulfilled.
The PM Modi-led government, however, said that the interim Budget is inclusive and innovative and has the confidence of continuity, which will propel India’s rapid transformation into an economic superpower.
Addressing reporters on Thursday, Congress National President Mallikarjun Kharge attacked the BJP-led government for failing to provide jobs, bring back black money and doubling the income of farmers.
“I listened to the budget carefully, nothing was mentioned in this budget for the poor, lower middle class and the middle class… This is their budget only for day-to-day affairs. They did not give the details of promises made for 10 years, they should have compared how many promises were made and how many were fulfilled…They should give a comparative statement…,” said Kharge.
“…They think that the country got independence only after 2014 & the country is seeing democracy only after PM Modi came to power…What happened to the promise of 2 crore jobs, what happened to bring back black money, and what happened to the promise of doubling the income of farmers…,” said Kharge.
Congress leader Sachin Pilot said the Finance Minister’s speech sounded like an election speech.
“The President’s address was also used as political speech,” Pilot added.
Delhi Minister Atishi said the budget proves that this is a ‘jumla’ government.
“PM Modi had said in 2014 that he would provide 2 crore jobs every year but not even one crore people got jobs. Today they have given a new ‘jumla’ that they will give 55 lakh jobs… No step has been taken to reduce the inflation…,” she added.
Congress MP Manish Tewari expressed concern over a budget deficit of Rs 18 lakh crore.
“What’s worrying is that there is a budget deficit of ?18 lakh crores. This means that the government is borrowing for its expenditure. This number is only going to increase next year,” said the Congress MP.
Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Priyanka Chaturvedi said there is a huge difference between saying and doing.
“…this is what we have been seeing for the last 10 years… There is nothing in it for the poor, women and youth. This budget has poured cold water on the expectations of the general public…,” said Chaturvedi.
Echoing Chaturvedi’s sentiments, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor said that there was as usual a lot of of rhetorical language, very little concrete on implementation.
“It was one of the shortest speeches on record in the Budget. Not very much came out of it. As usual a lot of rhetorical language, very little concrete on implementation…She talked about foreign investment without acknowledging that that investment has come down significantly. She talked about a number of things which are couched in vague language like ‘confidence’ and ‘hope’ and so on. But when it comes to hard figures, very few figures available…This is going to be a very disappointing speech in terms of being couched entirely in generalities and without enough substance nor any willingness to address the specific problems of the economy…,” said Tharoor.
Leading government’s charge, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the BJP will empower all 4 pillars of Viksit Bharat- Yuva, Garib, Mahila and Kisan.
“This interim budget is inclusive and innovative. It has confidence of continuity. It will empower all 4 pillars of Viksit Bharat- Yuva, Garib, Mahila and Kisan. This Budget gives the guarantee of making India a developed nation by 2047,” said PM Modi.
Union Minister Nitin Gadkari the Budget will propel India’s rapid transformation into an economic superpower.
“This inventive budget aligns seamlessly with PM Modi Ji’s commitment to uplift farmers, women, youth, and the underprivileged,” he posted on X.
With a clear roadmap for inclusive development, the budget caters to diverse interests of the society, emphasizing infrastructure growth for a new India, he added.
Home Minister Amit Shah said the interim budget draws the roadmap to achieve Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of a developed Bharat by 2047.
Shah also said the budget speech sheds light on the milestones achieved by the Modi government in the last 10 years in its journey to make Bharat the foremost nation in every sector.
“The Union Budget draws the roadmap to achieve PM Shri @narendramodi Ji’s vision of a Developed Bharat by 2047. The budget speech sheds light on the milestones achieved by the Modi govt in the last 10 years on its journey to make Bharat the foremost nation in every sector during the Amrit Kaal,” Shah said on ‘X’ with the hashtag #ViksitBharatBudget.
“On the very foundation of these feats, the magnificent edifice of a Viksit Bharat is being built. My heartfelt gratitude to Modi Ji for leading the nation through this journey of excellence and to FM @nsitharaman Ji for the insightful budget speech,” he added.
Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath said the Budget will provide a pace to building a developed and an ‘Atma-Nirbhar’ India.
“Greetings to the Finance Minister for presenting a budget that will fulfil the hopes of 140 crore Indians. This interim budget will prove to be important for the development of every section…,” said Yogi.
Union Minister Piyush Goyal said Finance Minister has been able to bring out a confident India story.
“A story of resilience despite severe geopolitical tensions. A story of growth and forward movement which will make India a developed nation by 2047. A story which talks about every section of society. Be it our youth, farmers, poor, or women, every section has received due attention. It’s very progressive, very forward-looking and lays the foundation of a prosperous India…,” said Goyal.
Union Minister Arjun Munda said the budget is motivational for the people of India.
“With the goal of ensuring ‘Sabka Sath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Prayas’, and putting the people of India in a top position, the government of India has presented this budget…,” said Munda.
Earlier today, Sitharaman presented her sixth straight budget ahead of the Parliamentary elections, matching the record of former Prime Minister Morarji Desai.
In less than an hour-long budget speech, she presented the Modi government’s achievements in the last 10 years that transformed India from being a ‘fragile’ economy to the world’s fastest-growing major economy.
With inputs from agencies
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Opposition terms interim Budget ‘anti-people’, BJP says will lead India towards ‘Viksit Bharat’
