Guj CM calls budget historic, Cong says nothing for unemployed

Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani on Saturday termed as "historic" the Union Budget 2020 -21, even as the state Congress slammed it saying there was nothing in it for unemployed youth, women and farmers.

Calling the budget farmer-oriented, Rupani said the schemes meant for farmers will help them raise their income.

"The budget presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has taken every section of the society into consideration. I am grateful to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for (proposal to set up a) bullion exchange at GIFT City in Gandhinagar, proposal for redevelopment of Dholavira in Kutch and maritime museum at Lothal in the state," he said.

Expanding the national gas grid to 27,000 kms will benefit Gujarat, he said, adding that expediting the Ahmedabad-Mumbai bullet train project will also benefit the people of the state.

Tax reduction will increase the purchasing power of the people, which in turn will help boost the economy, he said.

India's target of $5 trillion economy is reflected in the budget, Rupani added.

"Heartiest Congratulations to Prime Minister Shri @narendramodi ji, Smt@nsitharaman ji and Shri @ianuragthakur ji for the historic budget," he tweeted earlier in the day.

He also shared on his Twitter handle slides on 25 different budget announcements, like 'improving the quality of higher education, reforming medical education and practice, reforming banking sector'.

The state unit of the Congress, however, criticised the budget saying there was nothing in it for unemployed youth, women and farmers.

"The BJP is going on the path of two-tax theory just as it went on the path of two-nation theory in the past. It is going nowhere near its own 'one nation-one tax' claim," state Congress president Amit Chavda said over the optional income tax rate.

Disinvestment is a way to invite industrialists to take over government properties that the former Congress governments created for the country, he alleged.

"The Centre is also distancing itself from the responsibilities of serving the country and its people by introducing public-private partnership model in several schemes presented in the budget," Chavda said in a statement.