Budget meant only to appease BJP's allies; KC Venugopal slams Union Budget

NEW DELHI: Lashing out at the Centre over the Budget announcements for 2024-25 made in the Parliament by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Congress General Secretary KC Venugopal said that the Union Budget for 2024-25 was nothing but a "Sarkar Bachao" Budget driven by the political compulsions for the survival of this "lame duck" government.

A hike in standard deduction in the new tax regime from Rs 50,000 to Rs 75,000, revisions to tax slabs in the new regime, cut in Customs duty on gold and silver, three schemes under employment-linked incentives, and Rs 2 lakh crore for job creation were among the slew of measures announced by Niramala Sitharaman during her 80-minute Budget speech in the Parliament on Tuesday.

Reacting to it, KC Venugopal stated on X that the Union Budget is nothing but a Sarkar Bachao Budget, driven by the political compulsions for the survival of this lame-duck government.

"The Budget will do nothing to address inflation or solve the farmers’ crisis. It has absolutely nothing for the middle classes. Much like the previous 10 Budgets, this Union Budget is also far removed from the concerns of the ordinary Indian. While the government has belatedly recognised that job creation is the need of the hour, its so-called announcements are totally insincere and non-serious. They could not even properly copy from our Nyay Patra."

"Merely throwing large headline numbers while giving pittances, in reality, is nothing but a cruel joke on the future of India’s youth. Every segment of the Indian society is going to be in an even worse situation after this Budget, and this government that is completely cut off from the pain of the people will simply be concerned about its survival," he said.

"Kerala was completely ignored in the budget. The Finance Minister did not mention Kerala's name even once in her budget speech. Kerala has been denied its due benefits, including AIIMS and a special economic package. The Prime Minister had stated during the election campaign that if BJP candidates were elected to the Parliament, the BJP would certainly bring progress to Kerala," he added.