Congress mocks Union Budget calling it ‘old wine in new bottle’
Top BJP leaders including several ministers hailed the government for presenting a "futuristic" budget after coming back to power, while opposition Congress termed it as a "repackaging of the old promises" and accused the ruling party of failing to listen to the voices of the people.
Home Minister Amit Shah termed the budget as "hope and empowerment."
Senior Congress leader and former finance minister P Chidambaram said the government failed to listen to the voices of common citizens, economic experts while ignoring the marginal sections of society.
Union Ministers Smriti Irani, Nitin Gadkari, Rajnath Singh and former foreign minister Sushma Swaraj hailed the Union Budget.
Thanking Sitharaman for giving priority to infrastructure, Gadkari said, "In the making of New India, Finance Minister has given utmost priority to infrastructure. The budget of our department in 2018-19 was Rs 78,626 crore, now it is over Rs 83,000 crore."
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath congratulated the Finance Minister, saying she fulfilled the expectations of the people. "It is for the first time since independence that a full-time woman finance minister has presented the Union Budget. I want to congratulate her. The budget fulfils the expectations of the people of the country," Yogi told media.
But senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor and Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, leader of Congress' parliamentary party in Lok Sabha, called the budget disappointing.
Tharoor, an MP, express unhappiness over government's decision to hike fuel prices, adding that he was not sure whether the Center will match the numbers put forward during the economic survey with the real numbers.
Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala called the Budget as anti-people, anti-youth, anti-poor and farmers.
"Modi ji's new government is against people, youth, poor and farmers. The Finance Minister not even once mentioned about the plight of farmers. She didn't mention as to how the income of farmers will be doubled or how employment will be generated?" he said.