The Union Budget for 2007-08 on Wednesday drew flak from ruling United Progressive Alliance's friends and foes alike who dubbed it as anti-farmer, anti-common man and listless.
NEW DELHI: The Union Budget for 2007-08 on Wednesday drew flak from ruling United Progressive Alliance's friends and foes alike who dubbed it as anti-farmer, anti-common man and listless.
The Left attacked the government for "ignoring" their suggestions.
The Opposition Bharatiya Janata Party and Shiv Sena dubbed the budget as "anti-poor, anti-farmer and anti-common man" which showed that the Congress-led coalition did not have any growth-oriented vision.
Communist Party of India leader Gurudas Dasgupta said the budget was a "deplorable exercise" as it has failed to address the problem of farmers' suicides or the plight of unorganised labour.
He said the budget had even reduced service tax for corporates instead of raising it for mobilising resources for welfare schemes for masses.
Dasgupta and Suresh Prabhu (Shiv Sena) said Finance Minister P Chidambaram's efforts would not help the "aam admi (common man)" and the budget has no measures to rein in inflation.
Dubbing the budget as "listless, unimaginative and timid", Prabhu said the finance minister has lost a golden opportunity to jack up the growth rate to 10 per cent.
"In an attempt to please all, the finance minister has displeased everyone," he said.
BJP leader Satyanarayan Jatiya said the budget had no measures for ameliorating the plight of the poor. "It is disappointing as the common man has been left out," he said.
National Democratic Alliance convener George Fernandes said there was nothing in the budget for the common man. "Everything has been done for the rich and the elite," he said, adding that the people would come out on the streets in protest against the budget.
Mohan Singh (SP) termed the budget as a "directionless exercise" which has failed to address the burning problems facing the nation, including the agrarian crisis and the spiralling prices.
A Narendra (TRS) said the budget was anti-poor and added that it was unfortunate that nothing had been done for checking the hike in prices.
Rashtriya Janata Dal leader Raghunath Jha and Suraj Bhan (LJP), however, described the budget as development oriented and in favour of the poor.
Republican Party of India leader Ramdas Athavale hailed certain measures for scheduled castes and tribes but said they were far short of expectations.
BJP leaders V K Malhotra and Sushma Swaraj said there was nothing in the Budget for "'aam aadmi' (common man), women and senior citizens".
"While food for dogs has been made cheaper, it will be costly now for 'aam aadmi'," they said.
The BJP leaders were of the view that whatever minimal concession were announced by the finance minister would be swallowed by the inflation.
The two senior BJP leaders also questioned the rationale behind exemption granted in the Budget to the corporate sector, adding no serious efforts were made to check price rise as also farmers' problems.
Describing the Budget as "dead", Swaraj said Chidambaram had only announced constitution of committees and wanted to know "what he had been doing throughout the year".
Communist Party of India-Marxists leader Mohammad Salim said though there has been more allocation for social sector, there was nothing much for the common man and labourers.
"We also expected the government to come out with concrete proposals for the welfare of minorities in the wake of the Justice (retired) Sachar Committee Report. But we are disappointed," he said.
On the agriculture sector, Salim said the Budget has only increased credit flow, which alone will not help address the problems faced by agriculture sector as also the farming community.
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