Akhilesh Yadav Criticizes Modi Government’s Budget As "Pessimistic" And Biased Against Uttar Pradesh

Samajwadi Party leader and MP Akhilesh Yadav criticized the first Budget of the Narendra Modi government's third term, labeling it as "pessimistic" and suggesting it was designed to curry favor with NDA allies to maintain power. In an exclusive interview with India Today, the Kannauj MP pointed out that Uttar Pradesh was overlooked in the Budget, despite the presence of BJP governments both at the state and central levels.

Yadav accused the BJP of attempting to secure their position by offering financial packages to their allies. "The budget appears to be more about appeasing NDA allies," Yadav remarked.

He added, "We have no objection to financial packages for any state, but there should be no discrimination. Uttar Pradesh should not be left out."

The Union Budget included financial packages for Andhra Pradesh and Bihar, which are governed by NDA allies TDP and JD(U) respectively. Specifically, Andhra Pradesh was allocated Rs 15,000 crore for developing its new capital, Amaravati, while Bihar received Rs 26,000 crore for road connectivity projects.

Yadav suggested that Uttar Pradesh's Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath should have requested a special relief package from the Centre to address the recent flood disasters. "Uttar Pradesh received nothing, even though the people were promised significant benefits. The state should have reaped double benefits from the 'double-engine' government. The lack of support reflects the dissatisfaction between Lucknow and Delhi, which is evident in this budget," Yadav said.

The Samajwadi Party chief also criticized Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman for not meeting with farmers to discuss their Minimum Support Price (MSP) concerns. He dismissed the newly announced internship scheme, which aims to provide job training to youth, stating, "After creating unemployment over the past decade, now they are offering Rs 5,000 jobs. This scheme, which will provide internships to 1 crore young people in top companies with a stipend of Rs 5,000 per month, is inadequate."