Headlines
BJP hails budget, opposition calls it pro-rich
New Delhi, Feb 28
The NDA government Saturday
hailed the Union Budget 2015-16 with Prime Minister Narendra Modi
calling it "progressive and practical" while the opposition slammed it
for being "pro-rich".
Modi, commenting on the budget presented by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, said it had a "clear vision".
"It is a budget that is progressive, positive, practical, pragmatic and prudent," he tweeted.
Modi
said the budget has "distinct focus on farmers, youth, poor, neo-middle
class and the aam nagrik (common man). It delivers on growth, equity
and job creation" while also being "investment-friendly and removes all
doubts on tax issues".
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders
joined Modi in appreciating the budget, and Home Minister Rajnath Singh
called it "pro-farmer, pro-poor, and pro-unemployed youth budget that
will make India a modern nation".
Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar said he would give the budget "9.5 marks out of 10".
The opposition parties, however, slammed the budget for being pro-rich.
Former
prime minister Manmohan Singh, an eminent economist, Saturday
criticised Jaitley's budget, saying it has good intentions but no
adequate roadmap.
Speaking to NDTV news channel, Manmohan Singh,
who was prime minister of the Congress-led UPA government for 10 years,
said the NDA government has not been able to capitalise on the
advantages, like low crude prices and of other commodities.
"I
had hoped that he would use this lucky phase to give a real big boost to
stabilise the economy, strengthen the macroeconomic framework... with
all the nitpicking, the net tax revenue will increase by only Rs.15,000
crore. What is Rs.15,000 crores in a budget which runs into Rs.15-16
lakh crores?" he said.
Former finance minister and senior
Congress leader P. Chidambaram slammed the budget as against the poor
with "cruel cuts" in allocations for weaker sections but favouring
corporates.
Trinamool Congress leader Derek O'Brien spoke on similar lines.
"This
budget is not for the people, not for the poor and not for the middle
class. Lots of talk on giving more to the states, but this is untrue.
Last year, gross output to states was 61.88 percent, this year it is
62," he said.
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, of the Janata
Dal-United, said there was nothing specific for poor and common people
in the budget.
The Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M)
denounced the union budget as pro-rich and said it will only widen "the
already large income and wealth inequalities" in the country.
"This
budget, while providing a rich bonanza for the rich - foreign and
domestic corporates - ensures further widening of the already large
income and wealth inequalities," it said in a statement.
"So much for the slogan of 'achhe din aanewale hein'," the CPI-M said.
Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati said the budget is "impractical" and "only for corporates and not for the poor".