Kisan Sabha slams Union Budget, calls it anti-poor
The All India Kisan Sabha and Himachal Kisan Sabha has lambasted the Centre over the Union Budget presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and termed it as anti-poor and tailor-made for the corporate cronies and the rich. The Kisan Sabha also called on the people and its units to burn the copies of the Budget.
President of Himachal Kisan Sabha Dr Kuldeep Singh Tanwar said, “Even as the contribution of agriculture and allied sectors to the GDP has increased to 16 per cent, allocation in the Budget is lower than the revised estimates of 2024-25.”
“While the revised estimates of 2024-25 was Rs 3,76,720.41 crore, the 2025-26 allocation is only Rs 3,71,687.35 crore. When inflation is accounted for, this is a huge cut in allocation. Real expenditure for agriculture has steadily fallen since 2020-21; farmers are clearly not the priority of the BJP-led government,” he said.
He said there was nothing in the Budget to ensure legal guarantee of MSP, expand procurement or free farmers from indebtedness. “Even the Parliamentary Standing Committee’s recommendation to ensure remunerative prices has been thrown to the winds,” he added.
“The increased share of agriculture sector in employment indicates a reverse migration from urban areas as there are no opportunities. The Budget allocation for the MGNREGA has been kept at just Rs 86,000 crore. The government is stopping all funds to the National Institute for Rural Development and there is zero allocation in the Budget for it; this also is a telling reflection on the BJP-led government’s apathy towards rural development and the rural poor,” said Tanwar.
