Photographs: Reuters
Opposition on Monday trashed the interim budget, terming it as a ‘farewell budget’ of a government which has ‘lost’ on all counts and has nothing to offer to the people.
"This budget is practically a no budget.
“This is a farewell budget of a government which has lost on all counts.
Not to highlight their (government) failures, he (Finance Minister P Chidambaram) is hiding behind the figures of percentage of world economies," Bharatiya Janata Party spokesperson Prakash Javadekar said.
Speaking to reporters outside Parliament after presentation of the Interim Budget 2014-15 by the Finance Minister, the BJP leader said the comparison with other economies like USA was not relevant as they were much bigger.
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Opposition slams Interim Budget
Photographs: Courtesy, PIB
"What Indian people are suffering due to inflation and corruption. . .They have no answer for that," he said, adding Government has nothing to offer and, therefore, it is a failed budget."
Rubbishing the last budget of the United Progressive Alliance government, Bahujan Samaj Party supremo Mayawati said the interim budget has nothing new in it and has only listed UPA government's achievements in the last 10 years.
Though they have tried to make it an election budget, it is not going to benefit them, Mayawati said.
She said middle class will not get any benefit from it though the interim budget has made an attempt in this direction indirectly.
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Opposition slams Interim Budget
Photographs: Reuters
Communist Party of India leader D Raja said, "We should not read too much into the interim budget. Just before the elections they have to justify certain things and they have to blow up certain things".
Criticising the budget, Raja said government is slashing subsidy on food and fertilisers. "The economy is in deep crisis and it is going to be challenging for any government that will come after the next election."
Maintaining that Chidambaram is not leaving behind a strong economy, Raja said, "He made some attempts for electoral appeal at the end of his speech but people are wise enough to understand the economic situation and cannot be hoodwinked by rhetoric at the fag end of the government."
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Opposition slams Interim Budget
Photographs: Reuters
Central budget ethically and morally wrong: TMC
The Trinamool Congress on Monday termed the Union interim budget as ‘ethically and morally’ wrong because the UPA government, which placed the proposals in Parliament, would turn into a caretaker government once the Election Commission announced the date of Lok Sabha election.
Trinamool Congress general secretary Mukul Roy said the budget proposals submitted by P Chidambaram sounded as if they were for the next 10 years, or as if the UPA will be in power for the next 10 years.
"This budget is ethically and morally incorrect.
"An interim budget means a budget to bear the cost of salaries and other necessary costs of the government till a new party is elected to power," Roy said.
"The presentation of the interim budget by the UPA government sounded like whatever had been done in India since Independence, had been done only by them, which is ridiculous," Roy said in Kolkata.
The Interim Budget proposals included hand-out of sops to the middle class ahead of the elections and a boost to manufacturing.
The budget also slashed excise duty on cars and two-wheelers, capital goods and consumer non- durables besides the acceptance of the long-standing demand for 'one-rank one-pension' for ex-servicemen.
The Union Finance Minister also did not propose to make changes in the tax laws except to continue the 10 per cent income tax surcharge on 'super-rich' individuals and up to five per cent on corporates.
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