The Union budget has announced many sops for states like Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Bengal, but opposition parties were quick to point out that these were just poll gimmicks while the budget was neither pro-poor not pro-farmer. Most opposition parties have called the budget as one favouring corporates.
Former Finance Minister P Chidambaram said that Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman flattered only to deceive and that she deceived the people of India especially the poor, the working class, the migrants, the farmers, the industrial units that had been closed down permanently and those who had lost their jobs.
Chidambaram also said that the FM did not mention important sectors like Defence.
"She did not mention that Defence expenditure in 2021-22 will see no rise. It is flat at Rs 3,47,088 crore, almost the same as the Rs 3,43,822 crore in the current year. The FM gave out a mind-boggling figure of Rs 223,846 crore for Heath, a breathtaking “rise” from the Budget Estimation of the current year of Rs 94,452 crore. As I had warned, it was a conjurer’s trick. She also included the allocations to the Department of Water and Sanitation. Shorn of these add-ons, the allocations for Health were Rs 72,934 in 2020-21 and Rs 79,602 crore in 2021-22. Given inflation, the increase is practically nil. The Budget was a let down like never before. will unravel sooner than you think," Chidambaram added.
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has said that the budget is a challenge on the people. Pinarayi added that this is a budget that gives the country up to commercial interests.
"The budget is a reflection of the NDA (National Democratic Alliance) government's announcement of implementing the neoliberal processes with much vigour. The budget gives up the country to commercial interests by privatising more public sector undertakings, by raising foreign direct investment including that in the insurance sector and thereby the government stepping back from all sectors. This is a challenge on the people," Pinarayi said.
Pinarayi has also said that the budget is an assertion of the Union government that they will trek on the same path of the farm laws that has fully opened the agriculture sector to the corporates by withdrawing from the sector. "With the budget, the government has confirmed that the deliberations held with the farmers' organisations were mere dramas and that it's not going to withdraw the contentious laws," he said.
Pinarayi slammed the budget proposal that offers more loans to farmers rather than giving them more subsidies saying that it will put them on a debt trap and won't cater to address their issues. "This would aggravate the issues existing in the farm sector," he said.
Pinarayi flayed the budget for not having any proposal for giving solace for those who lost income due to the pandemic, not raising social security pensions, and not having any relaxation on income tax and no separate package for small scale traders and industries.
Opposition Leader of Tamil Nadu and leader of Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam leader MK Stalin has said that the Union government has cheated the people of Tamil Nadu.
“Without giving Tamil Nadu a good allocation, the union government has cheated the people of Tamil Nadu like showing a mirage to a thirsty cow or giving someone a magic lollypop,” Stalin has tweeted.
Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee branded the budget as fake.
"The budget is not in favour of the farmers and poor people of the country. What kind of budget is this? It's a fake budget. Bhekdhari sarkarer fakedari budget (It is a fake budget of the deceptive government," Mamata Banerjee said on the occasion of the virtual inauguration of a bridge in north Bengal's Siliguri.
She also said that the agricultural cess imposed upon all petroleum products will lead to price rise. "The Centre takes away all the cess. The state governments do not get any share of that," she said.