Not just Opposition, even BJP allies seem unhappy with budget

New Delhi: Attempts by the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to forge greater coherence among members of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) floundered after some alliance partners red-flagged the Union budget, saying they would have liked to see a focus on jobs and exports.

Soon after finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman’s budget speech, NDA members said the government needs to take more steps to revive the rural economy.

At the end of the day, farmers need more remunerative prices, but this is outside the purview of the budget, they said. Senior leaders of the NDA also expressed misgivings over the tax deductions proposed in the budget.

“The lowering of income tax rate given by the Union government is an attempt to make middle class and lower class happy. The announcement will help people spend more, but in the long run, it will bring down savings of people which is not a very good sign for the economy,” an NDA leader said on the condition of anonymity.

Members of the NDA said the government should focus on reviving small and medium enterprises since they generate employment and help increasing exports.

“Employment generation and increasing the purchasing power of people is the key because that is the expectation of the people. We would have also liked if the government had announced setting up of a disinvestment ministry that would look at public sector units which are bleeding our economy.,” said Naresh Gujral of the Shiromani Akali Dal.

However, BJP leaders, ministers and some allies like Lok Janshakti Party believed that the economy was on the mend and that the fiscal measures would put more money in the hands of the people.

Janata Dal (United) spokesperson K.C. Tyagi said: “It is a balanced budget but since this is not an election year the government has no made populist announcements. We were expecting more steps for the rural economy.”

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the budget will help double farm income. “The budget has further strengthened the government’s commitment to minimum government, maximum governance. We have also announced many measures to boost employment,” he added.

“In this budget, the Modi government has taken effective steps to rationalise the tax system, boost the basic infrastructure, strengthen the banking system, promote investment and ease of doing business, which will further Modi government’s resolve to make India a 5 trillion-dollar economy,” said home minister Amit Shah.

Opposition parties including Congress, Trinamool Congress, the Left and Aam Aadmi Party criticized the budget as lacklustre, saying it did not do enough to address the pressing problems faced by the economy.

“The government has given up on reviving the economy or accelerating the growth rate or promoting private investment or increasing efficiency or creating jobs or winning a greater share of world trade,” senior Congress leader and former finance minister P. Chidambaram told reporters.

Former Congress president Rahul Gandhi said the budget failed to address two key issues—unemployment and the state of the economy. “I didn’t see any concrete idea, any strategic idea that could help our youngsters to get jobs. I saw lot of tactical stuff... redundant things. I didn’t see any central idea,” Gandhi, also a Lok Sabha member, told reporters.

West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee said the proposal to sell a partial stake in LIC reveals plans to “ambush the heritage and legacy of public institutions”.