Opposition today slammed the General Budget in Lok Sabha, saying it presents a "rosy picture" and "half-baked truth", and mocked at the 'achhe din' slogan of the government, quipping that "good days" had come only for RSS which has "graduated from shorts to full pants".
Participating in a debate on the Budget 2016-17, Tariq Anwar (NCP) targeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi for giving full marks to it, saying he was acting as an examinee as well as examiner himself.
The Budget has presented a "rosy picture", but this is "half-baked truth" when it comes to allocation of money to farmers and agricultural sector, he said.
"Prior to the Budget, the Prime Minister said it is his test. After the Budget he gave himself full marks. This was the only Budget where the examinee and the examiner were same," Anwar said.
With regard to the 'acche din' slogan of the government, he said, "It is only the RSS that is seeing 'acche din'. They have graduated from shorts to full pants during the tenure of this government," he said.
Santok Singh Chaudhary (Cong) said the Budget was "anti-middle" class.
Jai Prakash Narain Yadav (RJD) described the Budget as "directionless" and hollow.
Mocking at the government's 'acche din' slogan, he said 'good days' had come only for the BJP and the ruling party will see "bad days" after 2019 Lok Sabha polls.
Yadav said the Prime Minister, on assumption of power, had promised to bring down inflation but the situation today is that prices of essential commodities are "sky-rocketing".
He also criticised the government's ambitious 'Smart Cities' programme and said the country needs 'Smart rural areas'.
Ganesh Singh (BJP) ridiculed the opposition for constantly criticising the Prime Minister even when he is "working for 18 hours a day just to make the country a super power".
Listing the achievements of the government, he highlighted Modi's invitation to all SAARC leaders for his swearing-in and his participation in Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's family function in Lahore as efforts to develop India's ties with the neighbouring nations.
Poonam Mahajan (BJP) said the Budget was extremely progressive and pro-poor as it has addressed all sections of the society.
Bhola Singh (BJP) recited verses and poems to highlight
the plight of farmers and how the Budget had "sparked a light of hope in their dark lives".
He heaped praise on Jaitley for bringing to fruition the Prime Minister's vision for farmers.
Tapas Mandal (TMC) criticised the Budget, saying it lacks vision and offered nothing to West Bengal, the state his party rules. "It's not people-centric," he said.
Gajendra Singh Shekhawat (BJP) hailed the Budget and said it was not only pro-farmers but also pro-villages.
He said the government should work to boost the share of agriculture in the economy, noting that it had come down to 12 per cent from 50 per cent around the country's independence.
Prem Singh Chandumajra (Akali) praised the Budget but added it would only serve as a band-aid for wounded farmers and sought more efforts to revive them.
There is a need to offer farmers one-time settlement to make them debt-free.
Satyapal Singh (BJP) praised the Budget and said Mahatma Gandhi's soul would be blessing the Prime Minister and his government for it.
Rahul Shewale (Shiv Sena) demanded roll back of 1 per cent excise duty on jewellery proposed in Budget and said the proposal should be put off till GST is implemented.
Budget for 2016-17 has proposed 1 per cent excise duty on jewellery without input credit or 12.5 per cent with input tax credit on jewellery excluding silver other than studded with diamonds and some other precious stones.
Ninong Ering (Cong) said the government should increase allocation to North Eastern states in the Budget and Rs 2,000 crore allocation is not enough.
Sadhvi Savitri Bai Phule (BJP) accused the Congress of not working for upliftment of Dalits and backward communities.
Udit Raj (BJP) said that the compensation provided to farmers for crop loss is not enough and the government should announce a rehabilitation package.
Terming the Budget as "balanced" Anupriya Patel (Apna Dal) demanded to know from the government the roadmap on how it plans to double farmer income by 2022.
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Former Prime Minister and JD-S leader H D Deve Gowda urged the government to do "something to save the farmers".
Highlighting difficulties faced by farmers, he said that in his opinion none of the farmer is a "wilful defaulter".
He said there has been so much discussion about non-performing assets in the banking system by talking about "one gentleman from my home state", an apparent reference to businessman Vijay Mallya who has left the country amid loan default.
Critical of the government for increasing levy on cigarettes, Gowda wondered whether cancer is caused only by smoking.
"If you want to ban tobacco, then think of an alternative for the farmers to ensure their livelihood," he said.
Dharmendra Yadav (SP) said there was no important announcement in the budget and wondered what magic wand does the government have to address the problems of farmers.
He asked how the government is going to provide insurance to all farmers in the country.
In response, Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh said the government has funds to extend insurance cover to farmers.
Yadav also demanded rollback in the hike in Service Tax.
Butta Renuka (YSR Cong) said even though the Budget is a balanced one, there are certain grey areas and urged the government to withdraw the excise duty on non-silver jewellery items.
BJP members Raghav Lakhanpal, Chandulal Sahu, Bhartendra Singh, Rajendra Agarwal and Keshav Prasad Maurya also spoke.
