Trinamool Congress general secretary Mukul Roy said the budget proposals submitted by P Chidambaram sounded as if they were for the next 10 years, or as if the UPA will be in power for the next 10 years.
"This budget is ethically and morally incorrect. An interim budget means a budget to bear the cost of salaries and other necessary costs of the government till a new party is elected to power," Roy said.
The interim Budget proposals included hand-out of sops to the middle class ahead of the elections and a boost to manufacturing. The budget also slashed excise duty on cars and two-wheelers, capital goods and consumer non- durables besides the acceptance of the long-standing demand for 'one-rank one-pension' for ex-servicemen.
The Union Finance Minister also did not propose to make changes in the tax laws except to continue the 10 per cent income tax surcharge on 'super-rich' individuals and up to five per cent on corporates.