Can PM Modi’s fitness regime kickstart the economy? Tweeples jeer union budget

Rahul Gandhi on Sunday responded to the Prime Minister’s praise of his own budget by taking a swipe. He attached the by now familiar video of the PM doing exercises that he had tweeted as part of his fitness challenge to Indian cricket captain Virat Kohli.

“Dear PM, Please try your magical exercise routine a few more times. You never know, it might just start the economy,” tweeted Rahul Gandhi on Sunday.

The union budget continued to draw sharp criticism on Twitter. The longest budget speech, the longest speech with the least substance, budget speech with poems from the highest number of languages, budget speech on everything except the budget—were some of the criticism that Nirmala Sitharaman’s budget speech invited.

Even BJP supporters were foxed by the budget provisions. Some of the Twitter reactions on Sunday were as follows:

“At this rate, clarifications will become as long and voluminous as the FM’s budget speech. Why can’t the finance ministry figure these things out while drafting the Budget/Bill.

It is embaraassing to explain or issue so many corrigendum after the Budget…”

“With due respect to PM Narendra Modi, and FM Nirmala Sitharaman, how can we have ‘Ease of Doing Business’ or ease of living if statutes are so confusing and difficult to understand for the common man and open to misinterpretation by detractors ?”

“Leave everything & see this, Modi Shah has slashed the budget of big hospitals. Hundreds of patients lie outside hospitals waiting for their appointment. This budget cut slashed all their hope & forcing them to sell their house, assets & move to private hospitals”

“Kerala Finance Minister TM Thomas Isaac on #Budget2020: Kerala has suffered. Our tax share was Rs 17,800 crore last year and now it will be only Rs 15,000 crore, it is an absolute decline to the devolution to the state.”

“Cutting the Corporate Tax to benefit the rich and then reducing outlays for MGNREGA is cruel to the poor. The necessity to revive demand and consumption make MGNREGA need based with an increased uniform national wage and enhanced allocation.”

“Such a drastic cut in food subsidy - from 1.84 lakh crore 2019-20 BE to 1.08 lakh crore in 2019-20 RE to 1.15 lakh crore 2020-21 BE - What's going on?? what will happen to FCI and what is the future of PDS?”

“It's a lost opportunity. #Budget2020 was expected to provide more money into the hands of farmers which would create more rural demand. More rural demand would lead to more consumption, driving the GDP up.

That was the surest way to emerge out of slowdown.”

“Here is the PM's first joke of the new decade. Please feel free to laugh if you can in the midst of the deepening economic gloom that our Govt. has just refused to acknowledge and act upon.”

“In the very 1st year, PM-KISAN beneficiaries went down!

Promised: 12 crore farmers going up to 14.5 crore Installment no (Rs.2000 each):

No.1: 8.3 cr

No.2: 7.56 cr

No.3: 6.13 cr

No.4: 3.01 cr

Was this only for 2019 elections?”

“But, if Budget allocations will not be spent, then the #Budget means nothing but a Jumla, Eg-Govt allocated 2000 crore in 2018-19 Budget to upgrade 22000 #ruralhaats #agri #mandis. Its been 2 years & a paltry 10.4 crore was spent on these mandis.”