Janata Dal (Secular) president H.D. Deve Gowda has described the Union budget for 2011-12 as nothing but a “damage control exercise” to try to set right the negative impact of the previous two budgets of the UPA-II regime.
Though the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) had grown in the last few years, there were also other effects such as “inflation and steep increase in the prices of essential commodities” which had affected the common man severely.
Other than the GDP growth there was nothing significant to highlight, added Mr. Gowda.
Telugu Desam Party (TDP) senior leader and Rajya Sabha MP M.V. Mysura Reddy said it was a “lacklustre and Eastman Colour budget” and there was nothing new in it except increased allocation for some sectors.
There was no concrete programme to contain increasing prices of essential commodities, inflation and to increase food production.
“No steps to contain inflation”
All-India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) parliamentary party leader M. Thambi Durai faulted Mr. Mukherejee for “not presenting a growth-oriented” budget. There was no measure to control increasing prices. The middle class was disappointed as he had not made any significant announcement on the income-tax relief sought by them.
Pro-poor, says DMK
Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam parliamentary party leader T.R. Baalu welcomed the budget which was “pro-poor and farmers-friendly” with new schemes for increasing the employment opportunities for the youth. Referring to the concessions/sops given to the income-tax assesses, senior citizens and anganwadi workers, he said in a nutshell it could be termed a “growth-oriented budget.”
