Budget is dhanwapsi by NDA to big corporates: Cong

Dubbing the Union Budget as "pro-corporate and anti-poor," Congress today said it was a "dhanwapsi (repayment)" by the NDA to the big corporates for their support in Lok Sabha polls.
"It is a pro-corporate budget," Congress President Sonia Gandhi said when asked about her reaction on it.
Slamming the budget as one that promises nothing new, party leaders said the plan to bring a new law on blackmoney meant that the government was not bringing illegal money stashed abroad on which it had made tall promises.
"Finance Minister Arun Jaitely is a good lawyer. But he presented the government's case today as a very bad lawyer," remarked Leader of Congress in Lok Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge.

He charged that the budget was a "repayment by the BJP government to the rich and corporates who had supported them during Lok Sabha polls".
Former Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh said the budget was a "dhanwapsi" programme. "You (BJP) had taken in elections. You are paying back," he charged.

The allusion was to the controversial "gharwapasi" programme by saffron parties.
Ramesh also said the "budget has (SIMI) in it...Skill India, Make India."
The Congress President's political secretary Ahmed Patel said, "The hype over the budget had created lot of hope but the outcome is disappointing".
"Allocation for Sarvashiksha Abhiyan is cut. Farmers get nothing. Service tax increase hurts the poor and the rich will pay less tax," Patel said.