‘Copied ideas of Rahul Gandhi’: INDIA bloc on Nirmala Sitharaman's Budget 2024 announcements
Nirmala Sitharaman in her budget speech said fast-tracking the growth of the rural economy and employment opportunities will be the government's policy goal
The Congress on Tuesday jabbed finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman after she presented the Union Budget 2024-25, calling it the ‘Congress Manifesto’.
Former Union finance minister and senior Congress leader P Chidambaram said on X,"I am glad to know that the Hon'ble FM has read the Congress Manifesto LS 2024 after the election results. I am happy she has virtually adopted the Employment-linked incentive (ELI) outlined on page 30 of the Congress Manifesto."
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“I am also happy that she has introduced the Apprenticeship scheme along with an allowance to every apprentice spelt out on page 11 of the Congress Manifesto. I wish the FM had copied some other ideas in the Congress Manifesto. I shall shortly list the missed opportunities,” Chidambaram, who served as finance minister in past governments led by HD Deve Gowda, Inder Kumar Gujral and Dr. Manmohan Singh, added.
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Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh also slammed the Modi government, saying,"After ten years of denial - where neither the non-biological PM nor his party's Lok Sabha Elections Manifesto would even mention jobs - the Union Government seems to have finally come around to tacitly admitting that mass unemployment is a national crisis that requires urgent attention."
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“It's far too late, and as it turns out, far too little - the Budget speech is more focused on posturing than action,” he added in a series of X posts.
“There are many things missing. There was no mention of MNREGA. There was no mention of any serious measures to improve the income of the bottom 40 per cent of our population whose income have gone down. There was very little addressing of inequality in our country today,” Congress MP Shashi Tharoor told PTI.
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Congress MP Manickam Tagore said,"This Budget has more or less copied the Congress manifesto... The important thing is about the Yuva Nidhi scheme... This government has announced it as ₹5000 per youngster who will be in the apprenticeship. It shows that this government has copied the ideas of Rahul Gandhi... The 'special category' for Andhra Pradesh has been denied. They are giving a lollipop to Andhra Pradesh."
Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav said,"They want to save the government. It is good that Bihar and Andhra Pradesh got special projects. But Uttar Pradesh, the state that gives prime ministers, were there big announcements for the farmers?Are there provisions for the produce and income of the farmers?"
Samajwadi Party MP Dimple Yadav said,"This government brings in schemes but does not pursue them... The main concern regarding women is their safety and this issue has not been addressed... The government does not want to take any steps to control inflation. Purchasing power in rural areas is constantly reducing."
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Trinamool Congress MP Kalyan Banerjee called the speech a 'Kursi Bachao Budget (budget to save chair)."