Opposition slams Budget as anti-farmer, anti-poor

Opposition parties on Thursday dubbed the Budget as "anti-farmer" and "anti-poor" even as some of the allies of the Bharatiya Janata Party asked the government to reconsider the proposals to increase LPG and kerosene prices and cut fertiliser subsidy.

"This Budget exposed the government's dependence on foreign companies who can destroy the level playing field of Indian industries," senior Congress leader Priyaranjan Dasmunshi said.

He said it would see an end to small scale industry and would further weaken the poorest of the poor by increasing the prices of LPG and Kerosene.

Shivraj Patil, deputy leader of Congress in Lok Sabha, described it as a "beaten track" Budget and complained that the agriculture sector has not been given enough attention.

Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader Somnath Chatterjee accused the government of being dictated by the World Trade Organisation and the US and said, "we have lost our economic independence".

He said foreign companies and corporate houses have been given encouragement while most sections of the people would be affected by the proposals.

"With this Budget, we are in a deeper mess. There is no explanation why there is a slowdown in the industry from six per cent to 2 per cent," he said.

Chatterjee regretted that the small scale sector has been decimated and the reduced central assistance to states would go against the central structure.

"This is a declaration of war on kisans, poor people and small scale sector," he said adding that there was no effort to boost industrial production in the country.

Rashtriya Janata Dal leader Raghuvansh Prasad Singh resented that the government had given no thought to checking the fiscal deficit and unemployment.

"It is an anti-people, anti-farmer Budget. We will oppose it," he said.

Meanwhile, allies of the BJP-TDP, Trinamool Congress and Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam - asked the Government to reconsider the hike in prices of LPG and Kerosene as well as cut in fertilizer subsidy, saying it would affect the farmers and the poor people.

Nationalist Congress Party leader P A Sangma said though emphasis on agriculture was a welcome move, he was disappointed that the North-East has not been given anything special.

He said the increase in prices of LPG and kerosene could have been avoided.

Senior Congress leader Sushil Kumar Shinde said the Budget will affect the middle class and government employees.

PTI

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