While the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) members of parliament hailed the budget as pro-middle class and progressive, the Union budget presented on Wednesday by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman elicited mixed response from the Opposition.
Shashi Tharoor, Congress MP, said while he is yet to go through the budget in detail, there was nothing on unemployment and inflation.
“While there were many things in the budget, it did not say anything on unemployment and inflation," said Tharoor. When asked about his views on announcement regarding tourism in the budget, he said, “It is a good thing and there should be focus on tourism, but I don’t think what the government did was enough in the budget. There are many things that could have been done."
Jayant Sinha, former finance minister, gave 10 on 10 to the union budget. “This is a budget that ensures that India remains the star of economies even as many economies stumbled. There is an impetus on green growth and push to cooperative sectors and whatever the Opposition says is incorrect. This budget is well planned," he added.
Kailash Choudhary, MoS agriculture, said it is a budget that has touched lives of every segment and sector. “There is talk of natural farming and organic farming. ICAR budget had been increased. We are happy that millets have been recounted as Shree Anna," said Choudhary.
On the Opposition’s allegations of MNREGA not getting prominence, Chaudhary said, “The Opposition can say anything, their allegations are baseless," added the minister.
DRAMA IN THE HOUSE
The Opposition kept commenting on the announcements during the FM’s address. Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury got up from his seat several times while the FM was delivering the budget speech. Dayanidhi Maran of Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) could be heard calling it “a budget of acronyms".
At one time when Congress leader Rahul Gandhi entered Parliament, a few of the parliamentarians of the party came with him, shouting ‘Bharat Jodo’ slogan.
While the FM made the announcement related to personal tax, the treasury benches erupted shouting ‘Modi, Modi’.
A few Opposition MPs laughed when the FM announced ‘Shree Anna’ as the name for millets, while treasury benches appreciated the respect that the address accorded to India’s attempt to make millets popular internationally.
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