Union Budget 2024 | 'Kursi bachao budget': Oppn says states ruled by it ignored, slams BJP for appeasing allies

Congress was scathing in its attack though it sought to take credit for some announcements like Employment Linked Incentive scheme.

New Delhi: An aggressive Opposition on Tuesday pounced on Narendra Modi government’s latest budget calling it a ‘Kursi Bachao’ budget that “did not provide” any concrete proposals to tackle price rise, unemployment and farmers’ issue while trying to “unsuccessfully” copying ideas from them.

The message over the budget announcements aimed at Bihar and Andhra Pradesh did not miss anyone with the BJD walking out of Rajya Sabha over Odisha not being pampered like the others when all the three of them were demanding Special Category Status.

Congress was scathing in its attack though it sought to take credit for some announcements like Employment Linked Incentive (ELI) scheme, the Apprenticeship Scheme  and abolition of Angel Tax,  Trinamool Congress called it a “useless budget with zero guarantee and zero warranty”.

While Samajwadi Party said the government ignored the interests of the youth and farmers, the CPI described the budget as a “deceitful exercise in hiding the failures” of the past 10 years and CPI(M) announced a protest on the government’s failure to address inflation, inequality and joblessness.

Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge and Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi said it was a “copy and paste” job while calling it ‘Kursi Bachao’ budget.

Rahul posted on ‘X’, “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.”

Kharge said the “copycat budget could not even copy Congress’ justice agenda properly, as it was distributing half-hearted ‘rewadis’ (freebies) to dupe its coalition partners so that the NDA survives.”

“This is not a budget for ‘progress of the country’, it is a 'Save Modi Government' budget,” he said adding, “there is no revolutionary scheme for Dalits, Adivasis, backward classes, minorities, middle class and rural poor people like the one implemented by Congress-UPA.”

“The word ‘poor’ has become just a means of self-branding, there is nothing concrete. There is nothing in this budget for women that would enhance their economic capacity and enable them to participate more and more in the workforce,” he said.

Senior MP P Chidambaram said the government's response on tackling unemployment “is too little and will have only little impact” while nothing in the budget gives people the confidence that the government would “seriously tackle” inflation.

Trinamool's Abhishek Banerjee said instead of tackling urgent issues like unemployment, rising prices and growing inflation, the BJP has crafted a budget to bribe its coalition partners and buy time before the government implodes.

Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav alleged that the budget has ignored the interests of the youth and farmers. He said the announcements for Bihar and Andhra Pradesh were due to the BJP's political compulsion to “save” its government and asked if there was anything for Uttar Pradesh. 

Walking out of Rajya Sabha over the denial of Special Category State status to Odisha, BJD Rajya Sabha leader Sasmit Patra said, “while Odisha, Andhra and Bihar had been asking for Special Category, two states got special 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  and the reward to the BJP allies from Bihar and Andhra Pradesh.”

Union Budget 2024 LIVE | Making a record for any Finance Minister, Nirmala Sitharaman presented her 7th consecutive Union Budget on July 23, 2024 under the Modi 3.0 government. This Budget brought tax relief for the middle class, while focusing on jobs through skilling, incentivising employers. Track the latest coverage, live news, in-depth opinions, and analysis only on Deccan Herald. Also follow us on WhatsApp, LinkedIn, X, Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram.