Kursi bachao Budget: Oppn flays FM over sops to Bihar, AP

New Delhi: The Opposition on Tuesday slammed Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman's Budget speech for not focusing on uplifting the poor and prioritising NDA allies like JD-U and TDP at the cost of other states. Leading the charge against the NDA government, Congress MP Rahul Gandhi termed it a "kursi bachao" (power retention) Budget.

Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, said the Budget 2024 was aimed at appeasing cronies with no relief for the common Indian. Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav said the Budget was a way to retain power as he mentioned special projects for Bihar and Andhra Pradesh - both ally states of the NDA. The Finance minister announced new airports, medical colleges, highways in Bihar, and special financial support for Andhra Pradesh in Budget 2024.

Akhilesh Yadav, who as part of the Opposition-led INDIA bloc, put up a stellar show in Uttar Pradesh in the Lok Sabha elections 2024, said that it’s “good” that the Centre announced special projects for Bihar and Andhra Pradesh because they want to “save the government”.

“They have increased unemployment in the country in the past 10 years,” the Samajwadi Party chief told reporters outside Parliament.

He also claimed that the projects in Uttar Pradesh that the BJP leaders proudly mentioned, and claimed were completed, indeed remain unfinished.

Congress veteran Jairam Ramesh also echoed his INDIA bloc colleague, while mentioning the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2014, asking why it took “10 years to announce” what was “already committed”.

“In 2018, Chandrababu Naidu garu quit the NDA because of the non-biological PM’s failure to grant Andhra Pradesh Special Category Status. Six years after the drama, at a time when the government is reliant on his MPs for support, all he has managed to get is ‘special financial support’ for Amaravati,” Jairam Ramesh tweeted.

Trinamool Congress MP Kalyan Banerjee also called the Budget a seat-saving move. “They have provided Budget boosts to whoever are NDA allies and they (the Centre) want to keep to their side,” he said.

Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati called the Budget less of ‘good days’ hopes for the poor, unemployed, farmers, women and labourers, and more of disappointment for them. “Will people’s lives become happy and prosperous with such provisions in the budget?” she asked, slamming the Centre for lacking the “required reformist policy and intentions” towards the upliftment of India’s over 125 crore weaker sections.

Taking a similar dig at the Centre, Kerala Finance Minister KN Balagopal called the Budget 2024 a “political exercise” aimed at saving the life of the BJP-led NDA at the Centre.

Jairam Ramesh called out Nirmala Sitharaman for taking a leaf out of the Congress’s ‘Nyay Patra 2024’. He claimed the Budget’s internship programme is “clearly modelled” on Congress’s proposed apprenticeship programme called ‘Pehli Naukri Pakki’.

Praise for Angel Tax abolition

The Congress veteran, however, appeared to praise the Finance Minister’s “welcome move” of abolishing the Angel Tax for investors. “In a welcome move, however, the Finance Minister has heeded the Indian National Congress’s demand to abolish the Angel Tax that has disincentivised investments in India’s start-ups,” Jairam Ramesh tweeted.

Telangana’s Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) working president KT Rama Rao was upset that Telugu daughter-in-law Nirmala Sitharaman gave the state a miss from her special mention in the Budget. “Despite having a budget of more than Rs 48 lakh crore, only a few states received major benefits. It is disappointing that Telangana is not mentioned in the entire budget. Once again, Telangana has received nothing,” he said.

Delhi Finance Minister and AAP leader Atishi asked why the national capital received not a single penny as its share in central taxes in the Budget 2024 despite paying Rs 2.32 lakh crore in taxes to the central government. She also challenged the BJP to show “even one thing” they did for Delhi in the past 11 years.