Don’t miss the latest developments in business and finance.

Opp terms Budget 'jumla'; BJP-led states say it's 'pro-poor, pro-farmer'

Image
Press Trust of India New Delhi
Last Updated : Feb 01 2019 | 8:21 PM IST

Alliance partners SP and BSP Friday termed the Budget presented by the BJP-led government 'jumlebazi', or empty rhetoric to befool people.

Bahujan Samaj Party president Mayawati claimed that economic disparities had grown during the last five years with only a handful of capitalists benefiting, instead of farmers and the poor.

"This is wrong and against the interest of the country," she said in a statement.

"Jumlebazi cannot change the destiny of the country and end longstanding problems like poverty, unemployment and inflation," she said.

She asked people not fall prey to BJP efforts to "divert attention from its failures by inciting religious sentiments".

Akhilesh Yadav, whose Samajwadi Party is in alliance with the BSP in Uttar Pradesh for the Lok Sabha polls, also accused the government of trying to mislead people.

"The BJP government is only worried about votes and not the people. In its regime, it broke the backbone of the people with demonetisation and the Goods and Services Tax.

More From This Section

"It adversely affected the economy. Now in the year, when people are going to say goodbye to the BJP, it has once again resorted to 'jumlebazi' to befool people," Yadav said.

Congress-led state governments also criticised the Budget.

While Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh termed it an election-centric budget aimed at misleading the people with false promises, Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot said the Centre had presented a vision for the next 10 years when its tenure was going to end.

Singh said it is a 'jumla' budget" and "all fluff and no action".

"Though ostensibly a populist budget, it is a typical budget of a government on its last legs, with nothing except fake promises for the people of India," the Congress leader said.

He described the announcement of Rs 6,000 per year for marginal farmers as "mere peanuts" and a "mockery" of the interests of the farming community.

Gehlot said the Budget is an election document of the BJP with more jumlas (rhetoric) rather than any focus on the demands of the people.

"With just Rs 500 a month for the distressed farmers, the Modi government has made it obvious that they do not recognise the gravity of the problem," he told reporters here.

BJP-ruled Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Haryana extended support to the Budget, saying it will take the nation on the path of progress and prosperity.

Himachal Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur said, "The interim budget meets the expectations of all sections of the society and will set the developmental agenda for the country for the years to come."

Also Read

First Published: Feb 01 2019 | 8:21 PM IST

Next Story