FM fuels meme-fest after presenting Budget

There’s one thing Indians do better than anything else — laugh at their problems as well as those as others! So, on Tuesday, after Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presented the Budget, X and Instagram were flooded with memes, which sure brought a smile on the face.

Representing Modi 3.0 government, Sitharaman’s 32-page budget’s key focus was on employment, skill upgradation, MSMEs, and the middle class. But one X user wrote, “The goal of this government is to bring middle class into poverty, turn upper middle class to middle class, and make the rich flee the country. #Budget2024 #Budget.”

What was noticed the most was Sitharaman’s bias for Andhra Pradesh and Bihar. She allocated Rs 15,000 crore to help AP develop its capital, Amravati. Bihar got Rs 26,000 crores as she announced road connectivity projects. Many targeted her for the step-children treatment towards states like Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Chhattisgarh and Odisha, where BJP showed dominance during elections. In fact, meme-makers didn’t think twice to connect the dots. Mirzapur series-fame Guddu Bhaiya’s dialogue, Ab humko chahiye full izzat, made a lot more sense for Bihar and AP. One compared Bihar and AP to Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman of the upcoming Deadpool 3 film.

Web series Panchayat’s popular dialogue also found a place, “Aapke funds se thoda paisa mil jata to badhiya hota.” Another one of Panchayat’s dialogue, Humlog dushman nahi dost hain, stands true for the middle class.

There were also memes flying about salaried employees like, “Kuch nahi badla yaar sab kuch waise ka waisa hai.” There is one where the FM says, “If you want to pay less tax, stop earning more.” Now that’s what a common man can do to stay below Rs 7 lakh income slab! — Sheetal