GUWAHATI, July 23: Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) and All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC) on Tuesday criticised Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman’s Union Budget describing it as the pro-corporate budget projecting a fake picture of the economy and the growth.
Reacting to the budget, Assam Congress chief Bhupen Kumar Borah described it as a “disappointing budget” of an “insensitive government.”
“This Union Budget, like all previous budgets presented by the BJP-led government, is great for headline management, but not for reducing the misery of the people,” Borah said.
“The biggest problem in India currently is joblessness. There is no mention in the budget about massive job-creating opportunities. Rather, the government has come up with a creative jumla called internship in 500 top companies,” Borah also said.
“Now, please think: how many people are qualified enough to work in these top 500 companies? Won’t most of these companies find loopholes to get out of this diktat, by saying things like not finding enough competent people,” he said.
He questioned why is the government transferring its task of providing social/financial security to the industrial sector.
“Now concerning our state: for the last five years, Assam has cumulatively demanded about Rs 10,785 crore. But the Centre granted only Rs 250 crore,” the Congress leader said.
“Today, Assam has got duped once again. This budget gave Rs 11,500 crore to Bihar, but only assurances of help to Assam,” he added.
Reacting to the Union Budget, AITUC described it a document of betrayal saying that the budget gives no hope to the labourers, farmers, unemployed, and the have-nots.
“The Union Budget deceives the students, women and elderly,” said Ranjan Choudhury, secretary, AITUC, Assam State Committee.
“This is yet another pro-rich and pro-corporate budget that is characteristic of the BJP. Cushioned on the financial survey that projected a fake picture of economy and growth with fudged figures, the budget with a bleakest of road map for Viksit Bharat remains an empty document deficient in addressing the real issues that plague the country,” Choudhury said.
“The Union finance minister began her discourse by claiming that her budget is for all people without discrimination on the grounds of religion, caste, gender and age, whereas we know its record on this count for the last decade, and recently we witnessed how contrary to this claim the religion became a tool to target a minority community in BJP ruled states during Kanwar-yatra to hit their economy. The women suffered immense suffering under the rule of this Government, the youth confronted unemployment and the interest in the savings of the elderly persons was reduced,” he said.
She also claimed that inflation was low and stable during their rule. “This is also a cruel joke on the people who are crying under the regime of unprecedented price rises in essential commodities. There is no road map or commitment to control the prices,” Choudhury said.
He claimed Anndata (Farmers) do not find any solace as the promises are broken and there is neither a scheme to give relief from indebtedness or the MSP as per Dr Swaminathan’s formula. She announced for continuity of ration to 80 crore poor under the already ongoing Pradhan Mantri Scheme, but this budget does not address uplifting them from poverty and drudgery for a life of dignity. Food inflation is so high that even the financial survey could not hide it. Wages of workers remain low and the budget fails to address. How does consumption increase?
In all her nine priorities she mentioned, if you look closely, it is actually set of proposals for ease of doing business, he added.
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