 "Budget 2024 reactions: BJP, ally Nitish Kumar and Opposition, who said what")
Budget 2024: The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party leaders heaped praises on Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Tuesday after she presented the “futuristic” Union Budget 2024-25 in the Parliament earlier. However, members of the Opposition, particularly Congress, were quick to point out that the parts of Sitharaman’s Budget were inspired from its Lok Sabha elections 2024 manifesto.
Here’s who said what on Budget 2024:
Former Finance Minister and Congress Rajya Sabha MP P Chidambaram, in a post on ‘X’ said that he was glad to know that Sitharaman has “read the Congress manifesto after the election results.” He highlighted that Budget 2024 announcements on employment-linked incentives and apprenticeship schemes were some of the ideas adopted from the manifesto.
Rahul Gandhi: “Kursi Bachao” Budget. - Appease Allies: Hollow promises to them at the cost of other states; appease Cronies: Benefits to AA with no relief for the common Indian; Copy and Paste: Congress manifesto and previous budgets."
Samajwadi Party MP Ram Gopal Yadav: The senior SP leader called the Union Budget a “show of numbers” and claimed that little of it will actually be put into effect.
Congress MP Manish Tewari taunted the Narendra Modi government over its announcements related to Bihar and Andhra Pradesh, the two states where the ruling parties have supported the National Democratic Alliance that formed the coalition government this time.
“There is an English proverb which says that the tail wags the dog, and that’s the political message of this Budget,” he said, noting that Sitharaman’s Budget has “political compulsions” written all over it.
Bihar CM Nitish Kumar rather responded in a cryptic manner when asked about his state not being given the ‘special status’.
While speaking to the reporters outside the state Assembly, Kumar said, “You will get to know all things slowly, and slowly (sab kuchh dhire dhire jaan jaaiyega).”
Union Minister Kiren Rijiju hailed the Budget as a “dream budget” for all the sections of the society. “The Budget announcements will help eastern India, which is a bit economically backward, emerge as an economic hub. States like Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh and Northeast will witness work on big infrastructure projects,” he said.
Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, reacting to the Budget, pointed out that the FM did not mention the MNREGA employment scheme in her speech. “There was no mention of any serious measures to improve the income of the bottom 40 per cent of our population whose income has gone down,” he said, noting that the Budget failed to address the growing inequality in India.
Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi took a dig at the Centre saying that the Budget should be called ‘PM Sarkaar Bachao Yojana’.
She said that the BJP has realised the compulsion to keep its alliance partners happy. “After denying a special status to Bihar and Andhra Pradesh, they have given them funds,” she noted, adding that Maharashtra was ignored by the Centre.
Uttar Pradesh deputy CM KP Maurya noted that the Budget was better than his expectations.