From Rahul Gandhi calling Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman’s Budget speech “hollow”, to former PM Manmohan Singh saying it had “too many confounding techniques”, from AAP Chief Arvind Kejriwal claiming Delhi has been neglected to the Left’s Sitaram Yechury describing it as “just platitudes and slogans”, here is how the Opposition is reacting to the Union Budget 2020.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi expressed his disappointment, “Maybe this was the longest Budget speech in history but it had nothing, it was hollow. The main issue facing India is unemployment. I didn't see any strategic idea that would help our youth get jobs,” reported news agency ANI.
Rahul Gandhi added, “I saw tactical stuff but no central idea. It describes this government well, lot of repetition and rambling. It is the mindset of this government – all talk but nothing happening.”
Manmohan Singh: ‘It’s Too Long, Too Many Confounding Techniques’
Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh briefly spoke to the media about the Budget. He said, “It’s too long, too many confounding techniques.” Singh, however, declined to comment extensively on the Budget just yet, saying that he was yet to absorb it.
Arvind Kejriwal: ‘Delhi Neglected’
Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal tweeted, “Delhi had a lot of expectations from the Budget. But once again, Delhiites were neglected. Delhi does not fall in BJP's priority list, so why should Delhi vote for BJP? The question is also that when the BJP is disappointing Delhi before the election, will it keep its promises after the election?”
Yechury: ‘Just Platitudes And Slogans’
Mamata: ‘Govt Plans to Ambush Legacy of Public Institutions’
Chidambaram: Govt in Denial on Economic Crisis
Addressing the media, veteran Congress leader and former finance minister P Chidambaram said, “The government has given up on reviving economy or accelerating growth rate or creating jobs.”
He referred to the Budget 2020 as “a laundry list of old programmes” and passed a jibe saying that “even the most loyal BJP supporter cannot latch on to any idea in this Budget speech.”
“The government is in complete denial that economy faces grave macro-economic challenge, the growth rate has declined in six successive quarters. Their claim of 6-6.5 percent growth next year is astonishing, even irresponsible.”P Chidambaram
Chidambaram hit out further at Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman by saying, “The government does not believe in reforms, the FM rejected every idea in Economic Survey. People did not deserve such a budget, but will have to live with it until govt is forced to revisit it, as in 2019.”
On being asked to rate the budget between 1 and 10, he said, "Ten has two digits, one and zero. You can pick either."
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