Opposition leaders tear into BJP’s interim budget

New Delhi [India], Feb 01 (ANI): With the BJP presenting interim budget, its sixth and final one ahead of the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, several opposition leaders on Friday attacked the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government, accusing it of announcing populist schemes intended at confirming re-elections.
Congress president Rahul Gandhi took to Twitter to criticise the newly-announced Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi, which entails payment of Rs 6,000 annually to each of the 12 crore marginal farmers in the country.
“Dear NoMo, 5 years of your incompetence and arrogance has destroyed the lives of our farmers. Giving them Rs. 17 a day is an insult to everything they stand and work for. #AakhriJumlaBudget,” Rahul tweeted.
Congress leader and former finance minister P Chidambaram said that the budget “is not a Vote on Account, but an Account for Vote”.
“The Interim Finance Minister tested our patience by the longest interim budget speech in the recent memory. It was not an interim budget, it was a full-fledged budget accompanied by an election campaign speech,” Chidambaram said.
Echoing the sentiments, West Bengal Chief Minister and All India Trinamool Congress (TMC) chief Mamata Banerjee said that there is an economic emergency in the country.
"This government has no moral authority or responsibility to place the budget for five years when they will not be in power; the government will go for expiry. After expiry, if you give medicine, is there any value? What will be the value? This is absolutely valueless," Banerjee said.
Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy questioned if the budget was prepared by the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS).
"I want to ask if this budget was prepared by officials of the Finance department or the RSS? In this budget, Narendra Modi has given cotton candy for farmers. When I announced the loan waiver scheme, the Prime Minister mocked it as a lollipop. Friends of the BJP have prepared this budget," Kumaraswamy said. (ANI)