Opposition parties were unified in their criticism of the Union Budget 2022 for its lack of initiatives to increase employment opportunities or reduce inflation. The Budget, they said, was aimed only to benefit the rich.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who is also the Finance Minister of the State tweeted, “Budget has zero for common people, who are getting crushed by unemployment and inflation. Government is lost in big words signifying nothing. A pegasus spin budget.”
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal also echoed similar sentiments. “People had high expectations from the budget especially during the COVID pandemic. The budget disappointed the people. There is nothing in the budget for the general public. Nothing to reduce inflation,” he tweeted.
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The unemployment crisis that the country is going through has not been addressed, Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury said. He tweeted: “India has 200 million missing jobs today. No urban employment guarantee announced. MGNREGA allocation remains the same as last year ₹73000cr, which fell short by nearly ₹50000cr. A criminal assault on the livelihood of our youth.”
Mr. Yechury also pointed out that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government’s promise to double farmers’ income had also come to naught. “Finance Minister proudly announces ₹2,37LCr as MSP on wheat & paddy directly credited to farmers accounts. This is less than the MSP payments in 2020-21, which was ₹2.478LCr. Criminal assault on farmers continues,” he said. Overall, he said this was an anti-people Budget, especially as subsidies on food, fertilizers and petroleum had been slashed.
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The Budget has turned out to be a bag of disasters and deceptions, Communist Party India general secretary D. Raja said. “The budget has not addressed growing unemployment and inequality. No Wealth Tax introduced to bridge the gap between the rich and the poor. Pandemic has made life difficult for commoners but providing any relief is not on the government’s agenda. The rich stands to gain more,” he said.
The government’s initiative to allow foreign universities to operate in the country without regulation, Mr. Raja said, is going to distort the level-playing field. “Dalits and students from other marginalised communities will be the worst hit. Only the already affluent will gain from this inequality in education,” he added.
Trinamool Congress MP Derek O’Brien also said that the Budget is pro-rich. “Diamonds are this government’s best friend. For the rest — farmers, middle class, daily earners, unemployed — this is a PM (Does Not) Care budget,” he tweeted.
