Soon after Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman's presentation of the Union Budget 2022 on Tuesday, 1 February, various Opposition leaders, including Rahul Gandhi, Arvind Kejriwal, and Mamata Banerjee, criticised the government's allocations.
"M0di G0vernment’s Zer0 Sum Budget! Nothing for - Salaried class - Middle class - The poor and deprived - Youth - Farmers - MSMEs (sic)," stated Rahul Gandhi.
Gandhi's tweet, however, did not bode well with Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader, with Finance Minister Sitharaman saying that she pities "people who come up with quick responses."
"Just because you want to put something on Twitter, it doesn't help. He should first do something in Congress-governed states then talk about it," she said.
Trinamool Congress supremo Banerjee said, "Budget has zero for common people, who are getting crushed by unemployment and inflation. The government is lost in big words signifying nothing – a Pegasus spin Budget."
A few hours after the budget speech, Aam Aadmi Party National Convener, Arvind Kejriwal tweeted in Hindi saying that there is nothing in the Budget for the aam janta or common people. He said that people had expectations from the government amid the pandemic and there was no mention of inflation.
'Nothing Budget': Shashi Tharoor Disapproves Union Budget
Calling the Budget a 'Nothing Budget,' Congress leader Shashi Tharoor said, "Extremely disappointing, a damp squib! There seems to be absolutely nothing in this Budget. It's an astonishingly disappointing Budget."
"When you listen to the speech, no mention of MGNREGA, of defence, of any other urgent priorities facing the public," he was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.
Tharoor further added:
"We are facing terrible inflation and there's no tax relief for the middle class. This is a Budget that seems to be pushing the mirage of 'achhe din' even farther away. Now it's India at 100, we'll have to wait for 25 more years for 'acche din' to arrive."
'Most Capitalist Speech': Chidambaram
Former Finance Minister and Congress leader, P Chidambaram said, "Today's Budget speech was the most capitalist speech to ever be read by an FM." He said that the word poor is seen only twice in the Budget.
He was quoted by ANI as saying, "People will reject this capitalist Budget..."
‘Only for the Rich’: Mallikarjun Kharge
Meanwhile, Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge said, "Budget is only for the rich; has nothing for the poor. It's Arjuna and Dronacharya's Budget, not Eklavya's, (from Mahabharata)."
He added, "They also mentioned cryptocurrency, which doesn't have any law, nor has it been discussed before", and stated that the Budget is "benefitting their friends," ANI reported.
'No Relief for Salaried & Middle Class'
"India’s Salaried Class and Middle Class were hoping for relief in times of pandemic, all-round pay cuts and back breaking inflation. FM and PM have again deeply disappointed them in Direct Tax measures. This is a betrayal of India’s Salaried Class & Middle Class," Congress leader Randeep Singh Surjewala said.
Listing the "Truth of Budget 2022 - 'Nothing Budget'" in another tweet in Hindi, Surjewala said:
"• The pocket of the poor is empty, nothing,
• The pocket of the employed is empty, nothing,
• The pockets of the middle class are empty, nothing,
• The pocket of farmers is empty, nothing
• The hope of the youth is broken, nothing,
• To increase consumption, nothing
• To promote the small industry, nothing.
Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel, meanwhile, called the Budget 'directionless' and declared that it 'said nothing about doubling farmers' income'.
"It is a directionless Budget. It doesn't have anything to offer to farmers, women, and the youth. This Budget says nothing about doubling farmers' income and the smart city project," the Congress leader stated.
'Nothing About Poor, Youth and Unemployed:' Sachin Pilot
According to ANI, Congress leader Sachin Pilot said that the finance minister did not utter a word about the poor, youth, unemployed and even about inflation. He said, "There's no law on on digital currency but there's a tax against it now."
Meanwhile, Abhishek Sanghvi, INC's national spokesperson, said on Twitter, "Corporate taxes get reduction. Normal salaried class get Mahabharat quotes. Brilliant strategy. #Budget2022"
(With inputs from ANI.)
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