oppn-slams-union-budget-as-sugar-rush

The treasury and opposition benches sparred on Monday in the Lok Sabha over the Union Budget with the opposition members saying it offered a mere "sugar rush" in tax relief without any long-term benefits, while the ruling side defended it as "booster shot" for the economy.

 

Participating in the debate on the Union Budget in the Lower House, opposition members expressed concern on issues like the depreciating rupee value, rising government debt and farmers' plight. They said that the budget was "election-centric" and ignored the interests of a vast majority of the population.

 

The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam leader Dayanidhi Maran also accused the Modi government of coming out with budgets in successive years that have focused on poll-bound states keeping in mind political gains.

 

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He said the tax relief for the middle class was like an "economic sugar rush" which was untenable in the long run. Dubbing the budgetary provision as "unjust", he said it does not take care of the interests of people.

 

The debate on the Union Budget began on Friday.

 

Congress MP Manish Tewari claimed that in the past one decade, government debts have soared which has created problems for future generations.

He described the debt on the government as "inter-generational debt".

 

However, Bharatiya Janata Party MP Anurag Thakur hailed the budget a "force multiplier".

 

"Rahul Gandhi is calling the budget a 'band-aid budget'. I want to tell him that this is not a band-aid budget but a 'booster shot' budget. It is a force multiplier...," he said.

 

NCP MP Supriya Sule welcomed the tax rebate but maintained that "all is not well".

 

Trianamool Congress leader Kalyan Banerjee alleged that the budget was anti-people and destructive for the country's economy. He also opposed the proposal to increase the foreign direct investment (FDI) limit in the insurance sector.

 

Iqra Choudhary (SP) said that the budget is not an inclusive one. She said adding no steps have been taken to reduce unemployment.

 

She demanded an increase of MPLAD funds from ₹5 crore to ₹25 crore.