BJP hails budget as historic

New Delhi: BJP leaders and Ministers on Friday showered praises on Finance Minister Arun Jaitley for presenting a "historic", "pro-poor, pro-farmer" or "pragmatic" budget.

"So far, removal of poverty and unemployment used to be just rhetoric. This is a pro-poor and pro-farmer budget that will make India a modern nation," Home Minister Rajnath Singh said after the budget presentation in the Lok Sabha.

Minister of Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari said the union budget has given the "highest priority" to infrastructure that will boost employment in the country.

"This is the first time in the Indian history the FM (finance minister) has given highest priority to the infrastructure," Gadkari told reporters outside parliament house.

"Investment in infrastructure will boost employment opportunities, give priority to rural development and agriculture," he added.

Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar termed the budget a "historical budget", saying: "It has given social security to all. It's of the poor, for the poor."

Human Resource Development Minister Smriti Irani praised Jaitley for giving importance to girls' education. She said it is "a pragmatic budget that gives lot of thrust on infrastructure, skill India, innovation, girls' education".

According to Rail Minister Suresh Prabhu, the budget is in the interest of people of the country. "Steps have been taken to control inflation and increase investment."

BJP leader Meenakshi Lekhi termed the budget "balanced" and said that if taxes have been reduced, the subsidies too have been reduced.