BJP hails Budget as one for 'New India'; Cong slams it as 'old wine in new bottle'

The BJP Friday hailed the Union Budget as one for a "new India" which laid the foundation for an inclusive and progressive nation, while the Congress panned it as "old wine in new bottle".

In this year's Budget, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman hiked tax on petrol and diesel, raised import duty on gold, levied additional surcharge on super rich and brought a tax on high value cash withdrawals as she sought to spur growth with reduction in corporate tax and sops to housing sector, startups and electric vehicles.

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief and Union Home Minister Amit Shah said the finance minister presented a budget for a "new India" which laid the foundation for an inclusive and progressive nation, the rise of which was powered by the hard work of 130 crore countrymen.

"The Budget gives wings to India's farmers, youngsters, women and poor to fulfil their dreams," he said in a series of tweets.

The Budget highlighted the exemplary work in key sectors relating to the economy, housing, infrastructure and social sectors over the last five years and on this basis, ignited a spirit of hope that India could become a USD 5 trillion economy in the coming years, Shah said.

"The Budget presented by FM Nirmala Sitharaman is a futuristic one. It provides a coherent roadmap for sectors that will drive growth and innovation among our citizens. The emphasis on clean energy and cashless transactions are also steps in the right direction," he said in a tweet.

Criticising the Budget, Congress leader in Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said it was just a repetition of "old promises".

"They (the BJP) are talking about a new India, but it is simply old wine in a new bottle," he told reporters outside Parliament.

He claimed that no new initiatives were announced by the government.

The Modi government has tried to project India as an
Another Congress spokesperson, Abhishek Manu Singhvi, wrote on the microblogging website: "Bailout plans for PSUs & moves like inheritance tax are Modi's outing from the closet as the ultra left, vote seeking politician that he is. He got RWs (economic & political) to vote for him but his heart is only toward RW (right-wing) Polity not Economics."