Coalition dharma focus of post-election budget
Party chief JP Nadda referred to the “first budget of Modi 3.0” as “a testament to India’s inclusive growth, sustainable development and economic resilience”.
New Delhi: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) made an attempt to keep its National Democratic Alliance (NDA) partners and core supporters happy by ensuring that the Union Budget had something for the allies, critical for the stability of the government, and for four segments—poor, farmers, women and the youth — that are key for electoral success.
The Union budget was careful to address the concerns of key allies Telegu Desam Party and Janata Dal United.
“The party has ensured that it walked the talk on coalition dharma...we have been saying that the BJP does not desert its allies and this budget proves it,” said a senior party functionary, requesting anonymity. He dismissed the allegations of the Opposition that in trying to “save the government” the finance minister overlooked the concerns of other states.
“There is something for everyone...the focus on Andhra Pradesh and Bihar is because these were pressing demands, much needed for infrastructure development,” the functionary said.
Party chief JP Nadda referred to the “first budget of Modi 3.0” as “a testament to India’s inclusive growth, sustainable development and economic resilience”.
“This visionary budget not only addresses the immediate needs of the nation but also lays down a robust framework for long-term prosperity, while also prioritising infrastructure development, technological innovation and social welfare. It paves the way for a more prosperous and equitable India,” he said.
After it failed to secure a majority on its own and won 240 seats, the BJP is dependent on the 14-party NDA.
Andhra Pradesh was allocated ₹15,000 crore for building its capital Amaravati, and a commitment to the completion of Polavaram irrigation project; Bihar secured ₹26,000 crore allocation for road connectivity projects, new airports and sports infrastructure. The state will also get ₹11,500 crore for flood mitigation projects.
The government’s move drew a sharp response from the Opposition.
In poll-bound Maharashtra, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray took a pot shot at the government and said other states were neglected.
“I can understand the BJP wanting to save its government and giving Bihar and Andhra Pradesh a huge sum of the budget...But what is Maharashtra’s fault? That we are the largest taxpayer? What did we get against what we contribute? Was Maharashtra even mentioned once in the budget?” he asked. The BJP and the Sena, which later split into two factions, parted ways in 2019 over power sharing.
In Odisha, where the BJP ousted the Biju Janata Dal from power in June, resentment at being overlooked for special assistance was articulated by the Opposition.
“I feel disappointed at the continued neglect of Odisha while the state contributes so much to the country,” BJD president and former CM Naveen Patnaik said. His party colleagues in the Rajya Sabha walked out when the budget was presented.
While Odisha, Andhra Pradesh and Bihar were asked for special category, the two states got special additional funds while Odisha’s demand was not considered. “Probably this is the punishment meted out to Odisha for electing 20 Lok Sabha BJP MPs out of 21 MPs from Odisha and the reward to the BJP allies from Bihar and Andhra Pradesh,” BJD leader Sasmit Patra said.
Unfazed by the criticism, the BJP asserted that the focus on employment generation, skilling, micro, small and medium enterprises, and boost agriculture will put the country on the path of economic growth.
“What is purvodaya... it is our commitment to the development in the eastern states including Odisha (Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal and Andhra Pradesh being the other states), the Opposition has no reason to complain,” the functionary quoted above said.
The offshoots of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, the BJP’s ideological mentor, also supported the budget.
“The budget is slated to be a great leap towards employment generation and skill development. Its an employment centric budget and the government has addressed many of our concerns and demands,” said Ashwani Mahajan of the Swadeshi Jagran Manch.
Ghanshyam Oza of the Laghu Udyog Bharti, the offshoot that works with MSMEs, also welcome the attention given to the sector. “There has been a lot done for the MSMEs and we are hopeful that the FM will heed our demand to divert labour engaged in MNREGA works to work in the MSME sector to meet the labour shortfall and also give a one time exemption for technical faults that arose in filing GST between 2017 to 2022,” he said.