Opposition says Budget shows govt is ‘of the rich, for the rich’

New Delhi: The interim Budget presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman drew criticism from several opposition parties, including the Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT), Samajwadi Party, and TMC.

The Congress asserted that the interim Budget lacks both accountability and vision, questioning how many promises made in the last ten years have been fulfilled. The opposition party accused the ruling NDA of favouring the rich and noted that the Budget fails to address promised job creation, inflation control, or doubling farmers’ incomes. Former Finance Minister P Chidambaram labelled it a “government of the rich, by the rich, and for the rich.”

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge questioned the fulfilment of promises made by the government in the last decade and emphasised the absence of accountability and vision in the interim Budget.

Chidambaram criticised the finance minister for not addressing per capita income, inflation, and the fact that food inflation is currently at 7.7%. He argued that the government’s focus on GDP growth overlooks per capita income growth.

Chidambaram further criticised the government’s approach to the economy and governance, stating that the “minimum” government policy has undermined federalism and weakened the third tier of governance.

Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray declared the interim Budget as the last of the Narendra Modi government, asserting that it won’t return to power after the upcoming Lok Sabha polls.

Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav labelled the interim Budget as a “farewell Budget” and claimed that the BJP government has completed a decade of anti-people Budgets.

TMC leader Derek O’Brien accused the central government of “cheating” federalism and committing “financial terrorism” with states, emphasising the absence of funds for states in the interim Budget. He criticised the government’s actions on the ground, especially regarding promises for women, youth, and farmers, calling the budget mere “gyan” (knowledge) without concrete action.