MVA calls Union Budget 'national betrayal', BJP celebrates

Mumbai: The ruling Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) allies Shiv Sena-Nationalist Congress Party-Congress allies on Monday slammed the Union Budget 2021-2022 of Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman as a 'national betrayal', 'letter of intent to sell off government assets' and doing 'injustice' to Maharashtra while the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) termed it as path-breaking and all-inclusive.

State Congress President and Revenue Minister Balasaheb Thorat said the Budget is a 'letter of intent' to profit by selling off top government companies in the guise of 'Aatmanirbhar Bharat' and doling out largesse to states going to elections this year.

NCP leader, Deputy Chief Minister and state Finance Minister Ajit Pawar said the Centre has continued the tradition of injustice to the women, backward classes, tribals, minority, migrants, the middle-class and Maharashtra which contributes the highest revenues to the country has got nothing.

Quoting the IANS-CVOTER Budget Tracker Survey, Pawar said that the Centre's financial performance is the worst in the country till date and in such a scenario, the claims of the Finance Minister are nothing but words and dreams.

Shiv Sena leader Kishore Tiwari who is President of Vasantrao Naik Sheti Swavalamban Mission (VNSSM) attacked the budget labelling it as "a national betrayal, complete eyewash and hostile to the farmers" who are agitating against the 3 new farm bills for over two months.

PWD Minister Ashok Chavan targeted the Budget saying it reflects the six overall economic pillars of the BJP-led Central government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi -- wealth and wellbeing of select capitalists, harassment of farmers and traders, selective development eyeing assembly elections in some state, depressing human capital, revising R&D to mean ruining and destroying economy, and maximum promises with minimum performance.

Lauding the Budget, BJP's Leader of Opposition Devendra Fadnavis termed it as innovative with several positive proposals for the countrymen, and also appreciated Sitharaman's decision to allocate Rs 2,092 crore for the Nashik Metro and Rs 5,796 crore for the Nagpur Metro-Phase II.

"We are happy that the Centre appreciates our innovative approach and accepts the Nashik Metro model as a national project, to be implemented in other cities. Both the (Nagpur-Nashik) metro proposals were sent during the BJP tenure," a pleased Fadnavis pointed out to media-persons.

Shiv Sena MP and Chief Spokesperson Sanjay Raut strongly criticised the budget saying it had nothing for the poor, the middle-class or migrants who were the worst-hit during the Coronavirus pandemic last year, or the farmers who are demanding the repeal of the 3 farm laws.

Thorat alleged that it's the new policy of the BJP government not to give anything to states where there are no elections, and in the name of 'Aatmanirbhar Bharat', sells all prime assets of the country painstakingly built up during the 60-years of Congress rule.

"The PM had said that he will not sell off the country, but the FM's speech has nailed the lie. The government will sell airports, seaports, highways, power lines, parts of railway freight, government warehouses, GAIL, Indian oil pipelines, stadiums, and even the LIC which was a 'safe investment vehicle' for people since decades," Thorat said.

He added that the unplanned lockdown led to unemployment of crores of people, small and medium enterprises went bankrupt, but the Finance Minister did not utter a word on these, the expected rationalization or reduction of GST is also belied, and this will further fuel inflation.

Pawar said that the government announced a portal for the unorganised labour, but it has closed the survey of the jobless in the country for the past several years, the real figures of the unemployed are not released.

There was disappointment for the farmers as the 3 farm laws are not revoked, nothing for the MSP though the government claims to be serious about the welfare of the peasantry, the Deputy Chief Minister added.

Tiwari said the VNSSM has been demanding attention to various core agricultural problems including a five-year farm credit policy, but the Budget has not even touched these issues which can defuse the agrarian crisis or arrest the farmers' suicides in the country.

"Overall this is a 'India Sale' budget for the mega-corporates only. However, we welcome the increase in import duty on cotton, the 7 textile parts, the agro-infra network and the focus on health sector and child welfare," Tiwari said.

Other prominent farmers leaders like Swabhimani Shetkari Sanghatana President Raju Shetti, All India Kisan Sabha President Dr. Ashok Dhawale and general secretary Dr. Ajit Navale also condemned the budget for totally ignoring the farmers who are agitating against the 3 farm laws.

BJP Leader of Opposition (Council) Pravin Darekar attacked the critics of the Budget as having a 'jaundiced vision' by accusing the government of making announcements for the four states going to the elections.