Union Budget for country, not state specific: Naidu

Terming the demand of opposition parties to defer the Budget Session as “anti-people”, Union Minister M Venkaiah Naidu on Friday said the Union Budget is for the country and would not be state specific.

“No budget means no development, no welfare. Is this what you want? And no support to poor people, no support to farmers, is that what your wish is? Why are you opposing? Budget is budget,” Naidu said.

He was responding to a question regarding opposition parties’ demand that the presentation of the Union Budget on February 1, ahead of the Assembly elections in five states, be deferred till March 8, the last day of voting.

Speaking to reporters here, Naidu said the budget would not be state specific.

“The budget will be about the people, their future, what are the taxation proposals, what is the revenue model...It will be presented before the Parliament, that is for the country, it will not be state specific,” the Information and Broadcasting minister said.

He said that he was not able to understand the objection raised by the opposition.

“At the end of the day, they are afraid that all their efforts at disinformation against the Modi government have failed and the latest disinformation of the opposition on demonetisation is boomranging on them. They have realised, you have seen survey after survey,” he added.