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It’s their second-last budget... visionless, directionless and hollow: Akhilesh
This budget is also not in sync with the BJP’s manifesto; there is no clarity on what is to be done for the farmers and the youth, says SP chief
LUCKNOW Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav termed the UP government’s budget as “visionless, directionless and hollow,” saying it lacks clarity on development, how inflation will be tackled and how employment opportunities will be created for youth.
“This is the ninth budget of this government, and their second last. Like the previous ones, this also has no vision. There is no road map as to which direction UP is to be taken. This budget is also not in sync with the BJP’s manifesto. There is no clarity on what is to be done for the farmers and the youth,” Yadav said at a press conference organised at SP office in Lucknow.
“This is not a budget but a big drum. There is a lot of noise, but it is empty from inside. It’s hollow,” he added.
The former UP chief minister alleged that the budget has left different sections of society disappointed. “Farmers’ hopes have dried up, women are even more worried about managing household expenses, the unemployed see nothing but darkness ahead, and traders are feeling the deepening impact of economic slowdown. Even BJP ministers and MLAs who were thumping desks in the Assembly are now anxious because they will have to face the anger of people in their constituencies over inflation and unemployment,” he said.
“Promises made by the BJP in its Sankalp Patra are nowhere to be seen in the budget. There was a promise of free electricity for irrigation to farmers, there was a talk of creating an agro infrastructure fund with a cost of ₹25000 crore and a promise of giving laptops to students. What happened to these promises...”he asked
“After nine budgets, the government still has no answers for the unemployed, struggling farmers, or common citizens. The countdown for a new government has begun,” he added.
Yadav accused the BJP of failing to support farmers despite promising Minimum Support Price (MSP) guarantees. “They promised to provide MSP to farmers, but where is it? We had built mandis to ensure fair prices for farmers, and this government has destroyed them. Not a single new mandi has been built under the BJP rule,” he claimed.
Attacking the UP Government on health infrastructure, the SP chief said, “There is no treatment for cancer in Gorakhpur Medical College and AIIMS. For cancer treatment, one has to come to the Cancer Institute, Lucknow, built during the Samajwadi government. The government changed the name of the cancer institute, but is not giving enough budget.”
