Budget 2019| ‘Damp squib, rip off to high point’: Who said what on interim budget 2019

Piyush Goyal, standing in for Arun Jaitley who is in the US for medical treatment, received a thumbs up from the finance minister and the BJP as he presented the last budget of the NDA government before the Lok Sabha election this year. The Congress and other opposition parties accused Goyal of copying its policies and ideas.

Acting Union finance minister Piyush Goyal on Friday announced new funds in support of farmers, jobs in the rural sector and tax relief for the middle class among other sops as he presented the interim Budget.

“The Budget presented in Parliament is BJP’s election manifesto. The money being doled out by the government is for elections. I say directly that they are paying a bribe to voters,” alleged Congress leader Kharge. (Sonu Mehta/HT File PHOTO)

Goyal, standing in for Arun Jaitley who is in the US for medical treatment, received a thumbs up from the finance minister and the BJP as he presented the last budget of the NDA government before the Lok Sabha election this year.

The Congress and other opposition parties accused Goyal of copying its policies and ideas.

Here is how political leaders reacted to the interim Budget 2019:

- “It’s easy to take credit for completing something, once 97% of the work is done by someone else,” tweeted Congress.

- “The whole exercise has turned out to be a damp squib. We have seen one good thing that is a tax exemption for the middle class. ₹6,000 in income support for farmers boils down to ₹500 per month. Is that supposed to enable them to live with the honour and dignity?” asked Congress’ Shashi Tharoor.

- “Thank you Interim FM for copying the Congress’ declaration that the poor have the first right to the resources of the country,” Former finance minister P Chidambaram tweeted. “It was not a Vote on Account. It was an Account for Votes,” the senior Congress leader also said.

- “The Budget presented in Parliament is BJP’s election manifesto. The money being doled out by the government is for elections. I say directly that they are paying a bribe to voters,” alleged Congress leader Kharge.

- “Another jumla by jumla sarkar. Why didn’t they do anything in the past four years? This is an election-centric budget. People have understood this government. They will teach this government a lesson in upcoming elections,” senior Congress leader Ahmed Patel said.

-There were lies once again in the Union Budget 2019. This government is once again trying to mislead the people by forgetting its promises made in the past with false promises to capture power,” Samajwadi Party leader Tej Pratap Singh Yadav tweeted in Hindi.

- “The Interim Budget presented by Shri Piyush Goyal today marks a high point in the policy directions that the Government headed by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has given to this nation,” Arun Jaitley tweeted.

“The economic reforms undertaken by the NDA Government have unshackled Indian economy, unleashed its potential and made us a global leader in growth,” he said.

- “This is a revolutionary budget for the middle class and farmers. It is the government’s right to decide whom to provide benefits to. Congress calling it a political budget is just a case of sour grapes. We don’t take them seriously, you should also not,” Union minister Nitin Gadkari said.

- “All sections of the society including the farmers, middle class, poor and women have been mentioned in this Budget. This Budget will help achieve the dream of a ‘New India’,” Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath said.