New Delhi: Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presented her maiden Budget Friday, eliciting some interesting responses from the opposition parties.
The Communist Party of India (Marxist) is the most imaginative in its graphic response: it is clearly unimpressed with the push towards privatisation in the Budget. And, we aren’t surprised.
— CPI (M) (@cpimspeak) July 5, 2019
CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury even goes on to call the budget “fraudulent”. Again, we aren’t surprised.
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
— Sitaram Yechury (@SitaramYechury) July 5, 2019
Congress’s general secretary Jyotiraditya Scindia has some hard questions on ‘intent’ versus ‘content’. Despite his Lok Sabha loss, it looks like he still wants to hold the government accountable.
Aren't we missing something here?
No reference to the highly anticipated plan for job creation, no measures to help farmers combat price collapse & droughts
I can see intent, but where is the content? This budget session was reduced to only a table thumping gathering. #Budget2019
— Jyotiraditya M. Scindia (@JM_Scindia) July 5, 2019
However, Congress communications in-charge Randeep Singh Surjewala did not mince words in his verdict on the Budget. The wordplay is impressive, sir.
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’?
— Randeep Singh Surjewala (@rssurjewala) July 5, 2019
National President of Swaraj India Yogendra Yadav has many observations on the Budget — mostly critical. Here’s one of them on farming.
कम से कम किसान के लिए तो यह "ज़ीरो बजट स्पीच" थी:
* न सूखे का जिक्र
* न आय दोगुना करने की योजना
* न किसान सम्मान निधि का विस्तार
* न MSP रेट किसान को दिलवाने की पुख्ता योजना
* न आवारा पशु से निपटने की कोई तरकीब
— Yogendra Yadav (@_YogendraYadav) July 5, 2019
In translation: For at least the farmer, it was a “Zero Budget Speech”:No mention of drought, raise in income, MSP rate or how to deal with wandering animals
Prior to the budget presentation, Anurag Thakur, Minister of State of Finance and Corporate Affairs,was quite impressed by trivial details related to the budget. A lot more goes into the Union Budget than what meets the eye.
FunFact:
The #UnionBudget is printed within the north block, those engaged in the process cannot leave the building till it is presented in the Parliament.
Pic: Armed Personnel guard copies of #UnionBudget2019 pic.twitter.com/cTYpvQ16E2
— Office of Mr. Anurag Thakur (@Anurag_Office) July 5, 2019
Former chief minister of Madhya Pradesh Shivraj Singh Chouhan is celebrating the fact that the budget will be called the “bahi-khata” from now on. Sir, the content of the budget matters more than what it’s called.
बजट अब 'बही-खाता' कहलाएगा!
यह एक समृद्ध भारत के निर्माण का बही-खाता है। इसमें समाज के हर वर्ग का ध्यान रखा गया है। 'सबका साथ, सबका विकास और सबका विश्वास' के इस बही-खाते के लिए मैं प्रधानमंत्री @narendramodi व वित्तमंत्री श्रीमती @nsitharaman को धन्यवाद देता हूँ। #Budget2019 pic.twitter.com/SIULNWEkqm
— Shivraj Singh Chouhan (@ChouhanShivraj) July 5, 2019
In translation: Budget will now be called ‘bahi-khata’! It is a book of the creation of a prosperous India. I congratulate Prime Minister Modi and Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on this bahi-khata of sabre saath, sabka vikas and sabka vishwas.
Former finance minister Arun Jaitley and Prime Minister Narendra Modi welcomed the Economic Survey 2018-19 with some satisfaction.
From the highest level of economic policy uncertainty in 2011-12, India has made leap into the era of high economic policy certainty. The Graph of Indian growth story is on an upward trajectory. #EconomicSurvey2019
— Arun Jaitley (@arunjaitley) July 4, 2019
The #EconomicSurvey2019 outlines a vision to achieve a $5 Trillion economy.
It also depicts the gains from advancement in the social sector, adoption of technology and energy security.
Do read!https://t.co/CZHNOcO7GV
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) July 4, 2019
Away from budget news, former Congress president Rahul Gandhi was all smiles as he made his first public appearance after his resignation as the party president outside a Mumbai court where he had to appear for defamation cases. Feeling lighter without the burden of the party sir?
Thank you to everyone who came out in the pouring rain today in Mumbai, to support me in my battle against the forces of injustice, hatred & violence,
Your love & support is my greatest strength.
Jai Hind ?? pic.twitter.com/Mb4jnWbfkg
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) July 4, 2019
Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra is receiving support from all quarters after being accused of plagiarism for her Lok Sabha speech by Zee News editor-in-chief Sudhir Chaudhury and others. Congress leader Sharmishta Mukherjee called Chaudhary out while actress Shabana Azmi set the record straight on plagiarism.
Get the record straight.Mahua did not plagiarise her speech .In her interview with Barkha Dutt she clearly says she read the signs of fascism in the Holocaust Museum. This canard of plagiarism is being spread to discredit her.Thats a compliment bcoz it shows how effective it is https://t.co/SCJ3znBOCO
— Azmi Shabana (@AzmiShabana) July 4, 2019
Mr. @sudhirchaudhary is making a mockery of parliamentary procedures by drawing parallel between his TV show with the august house of Lok Sabha. It’s outright denigration of parliament. @MahuaMoitra https://t.co/QrWX1ON9rF
— Sharmistha Mukherjee (@Sharmistha_GK) July 4, 2019