Politicians react to Budget 2019: It’s a manifesto, not budget, says Ahmed Patel; Yechury calls it fraudulent

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presented the Union Budget 2019 of the Modi government 2.0 on Friday, July 5, 2019. Her budget was high on literature, couplets, but low on deliverables for the common man. There is nothing specific in the Budget which will ease the life of farmers and the middle-class.

As soon as the budget was tabled, the Sensex started falling and dropped by around 400 points. Politicians were hardly thrilled by the Budget.

Here are the reactions of a few on Union Budget 2019:

Referring to the Budget as fraudulent, CPI leader Sitaram Yechury tweeted, “The Budget is fraudulent. The FM has used February 2019 interim Budget’s revised estimates as the revised estimates for the whole year 2018-19! Expenditure cuts in the last quarter in the run up to polls are not accounted for! So a rosy picture of the economy is based on jugglery.”

“Pay back time for the corporates. 99.3% of them get hefty tax relief but for the majority of Indians, it will be higher priced petroleum products which will feed inflation all-round.”

“On the massive job crisis that India faces, there is nothing in the Budget. The agrarian distress is also not addressed. No debt-relief and nothing on investment in the sector which is badly required,” said Yechury.

“Nirmala Sitharaman says that by 2022, electricity will reach every household. Narendra Modi during 2019 election campaign stated that we have delivered electricity to each and every household,” tweeted Rashtriya Janata Dal

“This Budget is going to help some big capitalists by promoting the private sector, which will not only make reservation for Dalits and backwards complex, but also complicate inflation, poverty, unemployment, farmers and rural problems. The growth of capital in the country is also not possible,” said BSP Chief Mayawati in a tweet

In a series of tweets, Congress leader and Rajya Sabha MP Ahmed Patel said, “It was manifesto rather than a Union Budget”

“ ₹70,000 cr to bail out bank defaulters but Zero assistance and Zero recognition for farmers facing a severe agri crisis ? DD Kisan never helped farmers , it was playing movies. Now we have a DD Startup”

“The Budget speech had no reference to allocation. Because in such details their insincerity would be highlighted. Rhetoric always triumphs in their scheme of things.”

Slamming the first budget of Modi 2 government, Randeep Surjewala said, “Maximum Intent, Minimum Content! Maximum Catchphrases, Minimum Catch-points!”

In another tweet, Surjewala said, Corporates with an annual turnover of ₹400,00,00,000 (₹400Cr) get an income tax break from 30% to 25%. No relief for honest ‘tax payer’!

“An utterly lacklustre, nondescript, uninspiring & directionless #Budget2019. Zero on Economic Revival. Zero on Rural Growth. Zero on Job Creation. Zero on Urban Rejuvenation. Can a mundane jugglery of ‘acronyms’ pass off for vision for a ‘New India’?”

Jyotiraditya Scindia slammed the government for putting an additional cess of Rs 1 on petrol and diesel.

"When the prices of petrol and diesel are falling across the world, instead of giving the benefit to the people the government has announced to include a Rs 1 of excise and cess tax. This condemnable step is equivalent to kicking on the belly of the common and poor person."

Congress on Friday said the Union Budget 2019-20 was "nothing new" and the government had walked back on the promises made to the people.

“In an age of ground water depletion and massive droughts, a decrease of Rs 433cr in irrigation budget over 4 years has led to increased farmer suicides & indebtedness. From #Budget2019, India needs a comprehensive agriculture policy to help remove farmers from the debt trap,”tweeted Congress.