Leaders dub Budget ‘anti-people’

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, February 28

The Congress and INLD today described the Union Budget as “lacklusture with nothing in it for Haryana” and termed it as anti-middle class and farmers.

Leader of Opposition Abhay Chautala and INLD state president Ashok Arora said the NDA government’s budget had ignored farmers and disappointed the middle class, while Haryana had been ignored completely.

Arora said the Budget would only raise prices and break the back of the common man, while nearly 15 per cent increase in service tax would further burden people. “The government has backtracked from implementing the Swaminathan Commission report and it seems they are protect the corporate and destroying the farmers,” he said.

Congress spokesman Randeep Singh Surjewala said the Budget could be aptly described in four ‘Ds’. “Disappointment to common man and salaried class, discouragement to farmers, denuding rural upsurge and denying investment and growth. It exposes the anti-rural, anti-farmer and anti-people face of the government, establishing Modi’s government credentials as a government ‘of the rich, by the rich and for the rich’,” the Kaithal MLA said.

He maintained that Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitely had a historical opportunity of big-ticket reforms, phenomenal agricultural growth and creation of jobs. “The government has resorted to empty rhetoric that lacks substance.”

On the increase in fuel prices by Rs3, Surjewala said the Centre had added insult to common man’s injury after presenting the Budget.

CLP leader Kiran Choudhry said the Budget had benefitted only the corporates by bringing down the corporate tax from 30 per cent to 25 per cent. “There is nothing for the salaried class. Neither tax exemption limit has been increased nor tax brackets have been tweaked to give them relief. On the contrary, the increase in service tax will push up prices of essential commodities,” she added.

Gurgaon: Gurgaon Industrial Association chief VP Bajaj said, “Industrialists hail the provision of introducing Goods and Services Tax (GST) and 12 to 14 clearances through single window with respect to establishing industries.”

“A new vehicle of investment has become realty with the Budget giving boost to the creation of the Real Estate Investment Trusts,” said Navin Raheja, chairman, National Real Estate Development Council.

The worker union, however, resented that minimum wages had not been increased. “Leave aside increasing minimum wages, the Centre increased prices of laptops and mobile phones. The Budget is against the interest of common man,” said Kuldeep Jhangu, president, Maruti Suzuki Worker Union.

Panipat: Social activist Nem Chand Jain has said the announcement of 10-year rigorous imprisonment for keeping black money would have far-reaching effects.

An employee, Rameshwar Dutt, expressed unhappiness over no change in the limit of personal income tax.

Faridabad: Rajive Chawla, chairman, IamSME of India (Integrated Association of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises), labelled the Budget as “progressive with a long-term vision”. Ramneek Prabhakar, general secretary, Manufacturers’ Association, Faridabad, said the Budget had failed to live up to the expectations of small-scale industry and common man.