New Delhi: Indian National Congress (INC) reacted sharply to the Union Budget and slammed Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman for her Monday address, saying that the budget was a let down like never before.
The party claimed that this plan for the upcoming financial year (2021-2022) will unravel soon. It described the imposition of cess on petrol and diesel in the budget as a “vengeful act” against farmers who took out the tractor rally.
The opposition party said it was a case of “wrong diagnosis and prescription”, and that Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman could have been “brave” by extending help to the poor, but chose to be “timid”.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi highlighted sectors that the government must focus on in their Budget, including the MSME sector. The Congress leader also urged on the need to generate employment for the farmers and workers and increase expenditure in the healthcare and defence sectors in the country.
Former Union Minister for Finance and Home Affairs, P Chidambaram held a press conference shortly after the Budget session. He said that FM Nirmala Sitharaman deceived people, especially poor, working-class, migrants and farmers.
“As expected, the FM has paid special attention to election bound states. She announced large capital outlays for Kerala, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal and Assam,” he said.
