New Delhi, July 6 (Inditop.com) The ruling Congress said Monday the budget presented by Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee was progressive, but the opposition parties termed it as “routine” and “inconsequential”.
“Budget 2009 is progressive, inclusive, growth oriented and balanced. It has a lot of things for a lot of sectors and a lot of people,” Congress spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi told reporters.
He said the approach of the budget was equitable and transparent.
The Congress heads the ruling United Progressive Alliance (UPA).
On the other hand, the main opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) described the budget 2009-10 as “routine” and not addressing the issue of economic recession.
“It is a routine budget. There is no suggestion to meet (the challeneges of) the global economic recession,” BJP president Rajnath Singh told reporters.
He said the government failed to come up with any concrete or clearly defined programme to boost investment and create job opportunities in sectors like agriculture, exports, industry, power generation and highways to meet the challenges of recession.
Rajnath Singh, however, welcomed the government’s decision to implement one-rank-one-pension scheme for ex-servicemen and to lift the fringe benefit tax on corporates.
Sushma Swaraj, the BJP’s deputy leader in the Lok Sabha, said the budget was a “national disappointment”.
Lalu Prasad, chief of Rashtriya Janata Dal who had criticised Friday’s railway budget, said the union budget was a “balanced” one.
Sitaram Yechury, a politburo member of the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M), saw “contradictions” in the budget proposals.
The UPA came to power “with the vote of aam adami (common man) but it shows that it is yielding to the pressure of economic reforms”, he said.
Fellow Left leader Gurudas Dasgupta of the Communist party of India (CPI) added: “It is an inconsequential budget. It does not address the main problem that our economy is facing. It does not appear realistic.”
Comparing the union budget with the railway budget, Mulayam Singh Yadav of the Samajwadi Party that has extended outside support to the government said: “It is more sour. While the rail budget was sweet and sour, this budget is only sour.”
rounak