Former finance minister P Chidambaram addresses a press conference in New Delhi yesterday.
IANS/New Delhi
The government yesterday hailed the budget with Prime Minister Narendra Modi calling it “progressive and practical” while the opposition slammed it for being “pro-rich.”
Modi, commenting on the budget presented by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, said the budget had a “clear vision”.
“It is a budget that is progressive, positive, practical, pragmatic and prudent,” Modi tweeted.
The opposition parties, however, slammed the budget for being pro-rich.
Former finance minister and senior Congress leader P Chidambaram said it was against the poor, had “cruel cuts” in allocations for weaker sections and favoured corporates.
He told reporters here that the Congress-led government had left the economy on way to recovery but Jaitley had not acknowledged this in his budget speech.
“Unfortunately, the government refused to acknowledge the fact,” Chidambaram said.
Chidambaram said the budget had “cruel cuts” in allocations for the weaker sections.
He said allocations under some programmes such as scheduled caste sub plan, integrated child development services and national social assistance programme had come down compared to the current fiscal.
“The speech is full of good sound bytes and ideas but lacks implementation measures. Only corporates will be benefited,” another Congress leader Shashi Tharoor said.
His party colleague Kamal Nath said the budget has not made any announcement for increasing the purchasing power of rural poor, including the youth.
“There is nothing in the budget about the development of rural areas” Nath said. In a lighter vein, he said the budget is full of commissions, committees and promises.
Former petroleum minister and Congress leader M Veerappa Moily said the finance minister has “given chocolates” to people.
Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader Mohmmed Salim said: “We don’t buy the argument of trickle-down effect that the government has given through this budget. This concept has failed worldwide. The government has given perks to the rich in hope it will trickle down to the poor.”
The Telugu Desam Party (TDP), a partner in the BJP-led government, said it was “very disappointed.”
TDP parliamentarians and Andhra Pradesh cabinet ministers said injustice was done to the state as there was no clarity on the special status promised in the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act.
