Leaders of non-Congress Opposition parties on Thursday said the Budget was “ordinary and disappointing” and did not provide any relief from inflation.
Nationalist Congress Party chief and former United Progressive Alliance Minister Sharad Pawar expressed disappointment on the ground that it was an ordinary budget, which would neither give relief to the common person nor help revive the economy. However, he hailed the announcement on one-rank one-pension.
“ Desh ki liye bure din aa gaye (Bad days for the country have come),” said Samajwadi Party leader Ramgopal Yadav taking a dig at the BJP slogan of “ Acche din aa gaye .” Bahujan Samaj Party leader Mayawati said the Budget did not promise relief from high prices for the people. “Apart from that, there is nothing in the proposals for poor, Dalits, backward communities, labour, farmers and small workers.”
Biju Janata Dal leader Baijayant Panda was, however, willing to give a benefit of doubt to Finance Minister Arun Jaitley by suggesting that there is nothing more he could have done under the prevailing conditions.
Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam’s Kanimozhi welcomed the announcement on reviving the plan to inter-link rivers but was “disappointed” that tax exemption limit was not raised.
Slamming the proposals, Janata Dal (United) leader Bashisht Narain Singh said the budget was for “urban population and the upper middle class.”
Aam Aadmi Party chief Arvind Kejriwal criticised it saying that it has nothing to offer to any section of society and has missed out on important issues like corruption, inflation and looming drought.
