In light of Narendra Modi government's last and final budget ahead of the Lok Sabha elections this year, Congress president Rahul Gandhi condemned the Narendra Modi government for its 'incompetence and arrogance' over the last five years.
Repeating the moniker 'NoMo' for the second time in two days, Rahul said the government destroyed the lives of farmers over the last five years. He tweeted, "5 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."
Congress leader Shashi Tharoor called the BJP government's budget a 'damp squib'. Though he was appreciative of the tax exemption for the middle class, he questioned the income support reduction for farmers.
"The whole exercise has turned out to be a damp squib. We've seen one good thing that is tax exemption for the middle class. Rs 6000 in income support for farmers boils down to Rs 500 per month. Is that supposed to enable them to live with the honour&dignity?" Tharoor said as he stepped out of the parliament after Union Finance Minister Piyush Goyal presented the budget in the Lok Sabha.
The budget was the last and final presentation of the NDA government ahead of the elections planned this year. It faces relection heat this year and has, according to many opposition leaders, presented an election budget aimed at wooing farmers and the middle class with announcements on pensions, tax exemption and farmers' income.
"I would term today's budget as BJP's election manifesto," Leader of Congress in Lok Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge said. "This is all being done for elections. I directly charge them of paying bribe to voters," he alleged.
Speaking to reporters outside Parliament, Kharge said the promises made by the BJP in this budget are mere poll sops and "jumlas", which will not be fulfilled as the BJP has a mandate to rule only till May this year.
"There is politics in everything they do and there is nothing for the poor in this budget...This budget is only an election manifesto that the BJP read in Parliament and it is only for getting votes," Kharge said, adding people understand that they will not be befooled any more.
General elections are slated to be held in April-May.
