From Our Bureau
NEW DELHI: The Opposition leaders were critical of the Union Budget for failing to adequately address the issues of unemployment and inflation in the country, though there was welcome by most leaders in the tax rebates announced by Finance Miniter Sitharaman.
Former Finance Minister P Chidambaram said he felt sad that the FM did not bother about controlling inflation and generating job. He deprecated the government continuing to seize the people’s money through high taxes and high prices on items like petrol, diesel, fertiliser, electricity and high GST rates.
Most of them welcome encouraagement to innovation in agriculture, technology and tourism. They said the capital investment outlay has also been increased by 33% to Rs 10 lakh crore, which alone will account for 3.3% of the GDP.
Noting that there were “some good things” in the Union Budget 2023-24, Congress leader Shashi Tharoor flagged that there was no mention of the rural poor, employment and inflation. He said that some “fundamental questions remained to be answered”.
“There are some good things in Union Budget 2023 but there was no mention of MNREGA, poor rural labour, employment and inflation. Some fundamental questions remained to be answered.”
Congress leader K Suresh called it a “pro-corporate” budget that was only in the interest of “Adani, Ambani and Gujarat”. “This is a pro-corporate budget. All interests of Adani are fulfilled in this budget, but the common man has been ignored,” he said.
Union Minister Smriti Irani called it a “middle class bonanza budget”, but added that there was something in it for everyone. “This is a middle-class bonanza budget but PM has spoken about inclusive growth. This has been an inclusive budget. There was something for SC, ST, OBC, women and elderly,” she said.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said termed the Union Budget as “totally opportunistic” and “anti-people”, news agency PTI reported. “Poor will be deprived, while only one class of people will benefit from this Budget,” she said.
Bahujan Samaj Party supremo Mayawati said it would be better if the budget is for the country rather than for the party. In a tweet, she said, whenever the Centre talks about the figures of beneficiaries of schemes, it must remember that India is a vast country of about 130 crore poor, labourers, deprived, farmers who are yearning for their Amrit Kaal.
