Betrayal of salaried, middle classes: Opposition decries Budget 2022

The Congress on Tuesday accused Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and Prime Minister Minister Narendra Modi of betraying the country's salaried and middle classes by not announcing any relief measures for them in the Union Budget.

Party leader Rahul Gandhi dubbed the Union Budget as a 'zero-sum budget', saying it has nothing for the salaried, middle class and the poor.

'M0di G0vernment's Zer0 Sum Budget! Nothing for - Salaried class, Middle class, the poor and deprived, Youth, Farmers and MSMEs,' Gandhi said on Twitter.

Congress general secretary and chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said the salaried and the middle classes have been affected due to pay cuts and high inflation.

'India's salaried class and middle class were hoping for relief in times of pandemic, all round pay cuts and back breaking inflation. FM and PM have again deeply disappointed them in Direct Tax measures,' Surjewala said on Twitter.

'This is a betrayal of India's Salaried Class and Middle Class. #Budget2022,' he said in his initial remarks on the Union Budget.

Terming the document a 'Nothing budget', he said in a Twitter post in Hindi that it has nothing for the poor, the salaried and the middle classes as well as farmers and the youth 'whose pockets are empty'.

There is nothing, he added, to increase spending and to promote small scale industry.

In his comments soon after the finance minister presented the budget for 2022-23 in Parliament, Surjewala also asked how the government was imposing tax on profit from crypto currencies when it is not clear if it is legal.

'And Ms Finance Minister, please do tell the Nation - Is Crypto Currency now legal, without bringing the Crypto Currency Bill, as you tax the crypto currency?

'What about its regulator? What about regulation of Crypto Exchanges? What about investor protection? #Budget2022,' the Congress spokesperson said in another tweet.

Congress leader Manickam Tagore added that it is a 'pro-corporate' and 'pro-rich' budget with nothing for the middle class and farmers.

'...Nothing for a jobless youth, Nothing for farmers.. Nothing for middle class.. Again Nirmala madam Fails... #Budget2022,' Tagore, who is the Congress whip in the Lok Sabha, said on Twitter.

Party leader Jairam Ramesh alleged that the Modi government is on a 'destructive path' as it talks of protecting the environment on the one hand but is promoting ecologically disastrous river-linking projects on the other.

His remarks came soon after Sitharaman announced a push for infrastructure projects.

'On the one hand, the Budget talks of climate action and protecting the environment. On the other, it pushes ecologically disastrous river-linking projects. Rhetoric sounds nice. But actions matter more. On that front, the Modi government is on a destructive path,' he said on Twitter.

Ramesh served as Environment Minister during the UPA government and is currently the chief whip of the Congress in the Rajya Sabha.

Terming it a 'Pegasus spin budget', West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said the Union Budget provided nothing to the common people who have been 'crushed' by unemployment and inflation.

Banerjee said the Centre was lost in 'big words' signifying nothing.

'BUDGET HAS ZERO FOR COMMON PEOPLE, WHO ARE GETTING CRUSHED BY UNEMPLOYMENT & INFLATION. GOVT IS LOST IN BIG WORDS SIGNIFYING NOTHING - A PEGASUS SPIN BUDGET (sic),' she tweeted.

Meanwhile, Communist Party of India-Marxist general secretary Sitaram Yechury questioned the government on the purpose of Union Budget 2022 and asked why the wealthy have not been taxed further.

The budget does not tinker with personal income tax rates.

It also does not raise standard deduction, which was widely anticipated in view of elevated inflation levels and impact of the pandemic on the middle class.

'Budget for whom? The richest 10% Indians owns 75% of the country's wealth. Bottom 60% own less than 5%. Why are those who amassed super profits during the pandemic, while joblessness, poverty & hunger have grown, not being taxed more?' Yechury asked on Twitter.