Opposition anti-poor, anti-farmers: BJP

BJP today dubbed as "anti-poor and anti-farmers" the Opposition for its protests against the proposal to start the Budget session from January 31 but suggested no announcements specific to five poll-bound states may be made when Union budget is presented on February 1.
Rejecting the demand of Congress and other rival parties that the session be postponed till the elections are over, it said the government's pro-poor schemes needed to continue and be supported by budgetary provisions on time.
Taking a dig, its National Secretary Shrikant Sharma said on the one hand Opposition parties have termed demonetisation a "big scam" and a "failure" and on the other they were against the session to start from January 31.

The two stands are contradictory, he said.
"The Opposition parties are rattled as their defeat in five state polls is a certainty and BJP will emerge victorious. These parties have had a history of negative politics and by opposing presentation of the budget on scheduled time they have again shown that they are anti-poor and anti-farmers.
"The Modi government has started a number of pro-poor and pro-farmers measures and they need budgetary support on time. We will certainly keep the precedents and past practices in mind," Sharma said, suggesting that announcements specific to the poll-bound states may not be made.

Presenting budget is a constitutional requirement which the government is bound to fulfil, he said.
Citing opinion polls which have projected a good BJP performance in the state polls, he said the Opposition parties are rattled due to this.