BJP allies hail budget's focus on poor, farmers

The BJP allies, Janta Dal (United), Lok Janshakti Party and Rashtriya Lok Samata Party today praised the Union Budget, saying it has rightly focused on agriculture, rural India and health sector.
Union minister and Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) chief Ram Vilas Paswan said the budget will boost farmers' income and also help Dalits and tribals.
He also praised the initiative to provide health cover of Rs 5 lakh to 10 crore families, a measure which also drew lavish praise from Rashtriya Lok Samata Party (RLSP) chief and Union minister Upendra Kushwaha and JD(U) spokesperson K C Tyagi.
Kushwaha said the budget is "dedicated" to the poor, farmers and the common man. He also praised the move to provide free LPG connections to 8 crore poor women and construction of two crore new toilets.

Tyagi said the budget could pave the way for "unprecedented improvement in agriculture" as the government has decided to pay farmers 1.5 times more than their input cost. He called the budget "pro-poor" and "pro-farmers".