The Interim Union Budget 2024 tabled by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on February 1 (Thursday) received a mixed response from the political parties in Andhra Pradesh.
Telugu Desam Party (TDP) State president K. Atchannaidu welcomed the Interim Budget, saying that the priority given to infrastructure, skill development, primary sectors and employment generation would spur the economy to greater heights.
“The fund allocation to primary sectors will take the economy on a higher growth trajectory,” Mr. Atchannaidu said in a release, while pointing out that Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy had failed to mobilise funds required for implementation of the promises made to the State at the time of bifurcation. “Mr. Jagan Mohan Reddy’s tall claims of securing the Special Category Status (SCS) for the State and get other things done are confined to rhetoric,” Mr. Athannaidu said.
Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) media wing chairman N. Thulasi Reddy described the Interim Budget as “much ado about nothing”.
“The Interim Union Budget is a damp squib as far as the State’s expectations are concerned. It has no mention of the State’s legitimate demands arising from the bifurcation even as the people are desperately looking for some real assistance that would solve their problems. The budget has nothing for farmers as their hope that the annual financial assistance being provided to them under PM Kisan Yojana would be doubled from ₹6,000 to ₹12,000 has been dashed. Besides, there are no steps to ensure remunerative prices to various crops. There are many unfulfilled aspirations,” he said in a release.
CPI(M) State secretary V. Srinivasa Rao said the fact that the Budget had nothing in it related to the development of Andhra Pradesh, duly including the construction of the capital city of Amaravati, reflected the BJP-led NDA government’s “lack of concern for the plight of the bifurcation-hit State” and that it had no qualms in cheating the people.
“The Budget is of no use to 99% of the population, while the remaining 1% being the corporate sector which the Centre is carrying on its shoulders. The Central government is not bothered about the huge burden cast by the GST on various sectors,” he said.
CPI State secretary K. Ramakrishna commented that he had not seen such a “worst budget after independence” and Ms. Sitharaman’s speech was an “election speech”.
“The budget is far from reality, as there is no qualitative change in the lives of people as claimed by the Union Finance Minister. Corporate sector continues to be a priority at the cost of the welfare of people. Farmers have been left in the lurch again,” he said, adding that Andhra Pradesh had nothing to cheer about as its expectations were belied due to the lack of political will to end the woes largely caused by an “unjust bifurcation”.
Jai Bharat Party (JBP) president and CBI former joint director V.V. Lakshminarayana said there was no reason for Andhra Pradesh to be happy about the budget as it did not cater to any of the requirements of the State, which was hit hard by bifurcation. “The talk of priority to infrastructure is a rhetoric, as projects like Polavaram, considered to be the State’s lifeline, figures nowhere on the Central government’s development agenda. Some of the plans outlined in the Budget resembles those of the JBP which were incorporated in its manifesto,” he said.
