Interim budget 'bribe to voters': Oppn

New Delhi: The attempt of the government to make a strong re-election pitch through its populist announcements in the interim budget has not gone down well with the Opposition parties as the leaders of the Opposition parties have unitedly condemned the government for its 'incompetence and arrogance' over the last five years.

In a scathing attack on the government, Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Friday blamed the Modi government for ruining the lives of farmers over the last five years. Hitting out at the Centre over its decision to provide direct income support of Rs 6,000 per year to the farmers, Gandhi, in his tweet, said, "Five years of your incompetence and arrogance has destroyed the lives of our farmers. Giving them Rs 17 a day is an insult to everything they stand and work for."

Reacting to the 'populist' announcements made in the interim budget, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said that the interim budget had absolutely no value as the term of the NDA government would end soon.

"Who will implement this (interim budget)? Will the new government that will come after polls implement this budget? Before the election, a vote on account is placed," the West Bengal CM said, adding that after the announcement of the poll by the Election Commission, the budget plans cannot be taken up.

Terming the interim budget presented by Finance Minister Piyush Goyal as being away from ground reality and bitter facts and one driven by 'jumlebazi', the BSP chief Mayawati said that during the five years of the BJP's rule, the chasm of economic parity had increased more profoundly.

Making a scathing attack on the budget presented by the Finance Minister, the BSP supremo said that money and development had narrowed down to a handful of rich people, which was indicative of the anti-poor, anti-farmer and arrogant mindset of the government.

Former Finance Minister and senior Congress leader P Chidambaram termed it an "account for votes and not a vote on account". Questioning the government's move and reiterated that Congress' announcement of "minimum support income guarantee" will bring true relief, Chidambaram said, "If these were important and necessary interventions, what was the government doing for five years."

Terming the budget as BJP's 'election manifesto' ahead of the polls, Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge said, "The money being doled out by the government is for elections. I say directly that they are paying a bribe to voters."

Accusing the government of looting public money, Rajesh Ranjan alias Pappu Yadav said, "As the Modi government has not done anything in its tenure, so it has come out with another 'jumla'. Why the government is talking about only new schemes and not about old schemes such as Start-Up India, Make in India, Stand-up India, jobs to youth, etc." Since the government has failed on every front, so it has come up with new schemes to befool farmers, youth and others, Yadav said.

Slamming the interim budget, Samajwadi Party chief and former UP Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav said, "In one year's budget, there are lies and promises of ten years later. There is nothing in this budget for landless farmers and workers."

Earlier in the day, nearly 100-minute presentation of the NDA government's final Budget intermittently witnessed noisy protests from opposition members and a spirited reaction from Treasury

benches regularly thumping their desks.

Presenting his first budget, Finance Minister Piyush Goyal faced protests even before he began his speech as some Congress members shouted that the Budget has already been "leaked".