'Nothing new, all about Bihar elections': Opposition slams Budget 2025

The Opposition has slammed Budget 2025 as 'all about Bihar elections', calling it biased and neglectful of common people, the middle class, and key states

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presented her eighth consecutive Union Budget in the Lok Sabha on Saturday, announcing income tax exemptions for annual earnings up to ₹12 lakh and introducing revised tax slabs as part of a reform-focused agenda. The Budget also outlined next-generation reforms, including an increased FDI limit in the insurance sector, simplified tax laws, and reduced duties on intermediaries, along with enhanced fiscal support for welfare schemes.  ALSO READ: Tax bonanza: What Budget 2025 means for India's beleaguered middle-class

 

Sitharaman projected a fiscal deficit reduction to 4.4 per cent of GDP for the financial year 2025-26. However, her Budget speech was disrupted by Opposition protests demanding a discussion on the recent Maha Kumbh Mela stampede, which claimed 30 lives. Slogans against Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government echoed through Parliament, with some Opposition members walking out in protest.

 

 

Here’s how the Opposition reacted to Budget 2025: 

- Congress MP Manish Tewari criticised the Budget’s focus, saying, “I fail to understand if this is a Budget for India or just Bihar. Did you hear the name of any other state in the entire Budget speech?”

 

- Congress MP Shashi Tharoor acknowledged the middle-class tax relief but questioned its broader impact. “The applause was for the tax cuts, but what about those without jobs? Unemployment wasn’t even mentioned.”

 

- TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee labelled the Budget biased, stating, “There is nothing for the common man. With Bihar elections coming up, the Budget was clearly designed for Bihar. Bengal has been neglected for 10 years.”

 

- Karnataka Minister Priyank Kharge expressed frustration, saying, “Nirmala Sitharaman ji, show some mercy to Indians. This government loves making headlines, but the reality is different. What happened to GST reforms?”

 

- AAP Leader Anurag Dhanda said, “The middle class is disappointed. Arvind Kejriwal made seven demands, including increased Budgets for education and health. None were addressed.”

 

- Shiromani Akali Dal MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal slammed the Budget as “anti-farmer”. She said, “It’s all about Bihar. No mention of Punjab. Farmers protesting for MSP have been ignored. All we got was a Makhana Board.”

 

- Former Chhattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel called it “impractical”, stating, “The rupee’s value has fallen, and despite claims, there’s nothing substantial for the middle class, farmers, or the poor.”

 

- Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi labelled it “the weakest Budget in the last 10 years”, demanding a parliamentary discussion on the Maha Kumbh stampede.

 

- AAP MP Sanjay Singh criticized the lack of tax relief for small traders, saying, “If the government recovered waived loans from industrialists, GST and income tax rates could be halved. But this was ignored.”

 

- Congress MP Kiran Kumar Chamala alleged political motives behind the Budget. He said, “Bihar gets all the attention. Telangana deserves focus too. This Budget clearly has a political agenda.”

 

- Samajwadi Party MP Dimple Yadav said, “Nothing new in this Budget. We demand details on the Maha Kumbh tragedy and accountability from the government.”

 

- DMK MP Dayanidhi Maran found the Budget confusing. “It seems designed to woo Delhi voters before elections. The Finance Minister announced tax exemptions up to ₹12 lakh but also mentioned a 10 per cent slab for ₹8 lakh-₹12 lakh. The devil is in the details.”