Opposition slams Budget, Rahul Gandhi calls it ‘Kursi Bachao’ exercise
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge called the Budget disappointing, saying the distribution is not need-based but only to save the chair
Opposition parties on Tuesday slammed the 2024-25 Budget with Congress leader Rahul Gandhi calling it a “Kursi Bachao” exercise appeasing allies, and cronies, offering no relief for the common Indian and a copy and paste of his party’s manifesto and previous budgets.
“-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,” he said in a post on X.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge called the Budget disappointing. “The Budget distribution is not need-based, but only to save the chair. The Budget had pleased just two people while ignoring the interests of 140 crore Indians.” Kharge claimed the Budget ignored all sections including the middle classes, farmers, youth, Scheduled Castes (SC), and Scheduled Tribes (ST). “The party expected the Budget to address the long pending issues of the farmers including the legal guarantee for the MSP, subsidy on fertilisers, and other things. But none of these things were mentioned in the Budget.”
He claimed the Budget did not address the issue of the safety of passengers and had no provision to deal with natural disasters. Kharge alleged that the government tried to settle scores with the SCs, STs, and backward classes as most of them had voted for the Congress-led bloc. He pointed out that the Budget had failed to address the issue of rising prices under which the country was reeling and people were suffering.
Kharge referred to schemes such as the Food Security Act, Health Mission, Right to Education, and Midday Meal introduced under the Congress rule. He asked the government whether it had brought any such welfare scheme in the last 10 years.
Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav said the issues of unemployment, inflation, farmers, women, and youth have vanished. “This Budget is also a bundle of despair. Thankfully, people are still alive in these conditions.”
SP member of Parliament Dimple Yadav said there is no provision in the Budget for the safety of women. “The kitchen has not been taken care of. The government does not want to take any step regarding inflation.”
In a post on X, Nationalist Congress Party – Sharadchandra Pawar said the Modi government has not been able to fulfil its promise of providing employment. “No new solutions to provide employment. ...the youth of Maharashtra will not rest without teaching a lesson to the BJP in the coming assembly elections.”
Aam Aadmi Party leader Sanjay Singh said the government simply did not mention key issues. “MGNREGA [Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act] was not mentioned. People have no reason to be happy,” Singh said. “The share market has gone down after the Budget was presented. This means that the market did not like this Budget. The country’s farmers were expecting the MSP of their crops to be doubled but the government has not made any provision for it.”
He said this Budget is also a betrayal of the youth. “Along with the youth, the [ruling] NDA [National Democratic Alliance] constituents have also demanded the abolition of the Agniveer scheme, but the government did not fulfil their demand either.”