Finance Minister Arun Jaitley presented the annual budget for the session 2018-19 during the Budget Session of the Parliament. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other leaders of the BJP hailed it as a significant reform while opposition parties as expected criticized the budget for not paying heed to the concerns of the middle class. The middle class is disappointed with the budget for not awarding them a tax cut and introducing a long term capital gains (LTCG) tax on investments. The budget displayed Modi Government’s intent of taking the economy forward without handing out SOPs which was the Congress strategy all along and summarised an ambitious plan for ‘New India’.
This is a budget to speed up the development in India. Ease of Doing Business and Ease of Living have been simultaneously focused on: PM Narendra Modi #Budget2018pic.twitter.com/bXWdZPMWju
— ANI (@ANI) February 1, 2018
Expectedly, the opposition, which thrives on negating any and every positive step by the Modi Government and likes to function as not constructive, but destructive opposition, slammed the government for this budget. Rahul Gandhi, President of the Congress Party, commenting on the budget said “thankfully, only 1 more year to go”.
4 years gone; still promising FARMERS a fair price.
4 years gone; FANCY SCHEMES, with NO matching budgets.
4 years gone; no JOBS for our YOUTH.
Thankfully, only 1 more year to go.#Budget2018— Office of RG (@OfficeOfRG) February 1, 2018
Manish Tewari of the Congress said the government was only paying a lip service to the concerns of the farmers.
The govt has attempted to pay lip service to farmers and to other marginalised sections of society but it is a classical case of too less and completely at the inappropriate time: Manish Tewari, Congress #UnionBudget2018pic.twitter.com/npQLkF2oHn
— ANI (@ANI) February 1, 2018
Nitish Kumar, Chief Minister of Bihar and ally of the BJP, congratulated the government on the budget and believed the announcements made on the budget will be a boost to the health and agricultural sector.
Announcements regarding education, health and agriculture made.
A national health protection scheme to benefit 10 crore poor families announced, it is a huge initiative. I would like to congratulate the government: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar pic.twitter.com/CaSmCUPKL0— ANI (@ANI) February 1, 2018
Yogi Adityanath, Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh also congratulated the government on the budget and appreciated that the concerns of farmers and senior citizens have been taken care of in the budget.
Desh ke ghareebon, gaon, kisaano, buzurgon ko dhyaan mein rakh kar behtareen yojnaayen hain, PM ka abhinandan aur FM ko badhai: Yogi Adityanath,UP CM #UnionBudget2018pic.twitter.com/oWgSgc8ox4
— ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) February 1, 2018
TDP, which has recently spoken of some tensions with ally BJP, did not have nice things to say about the budget. The Finance Minister of Andhra Pradesh said the concerns of his party were not paid heed to in the budget.
We are not happy with #UnionBudget2018 , whatever requests we made for Andhra Pradesh have not been addressed: Yanamala Rama Krishnudu, AP Finance Minister pic.twitter.com/GxGHCgUZV7
— ANI (@ANI) February 1, 2018
However, President of the Bharatiya Janata Party hailed the budget and said it was in the true spirit of the government’s motto of ‘Sabka Saath Sabka Vikaas’.
There a lot of schemes in the budget for the farmers, the poor, dalits and tribals. The budget is in the spirit of #SabkaSaathSabkaVikas: Amit Shah #UnionBudget2018pic.twitter.com/NmjjdTeqt6
— ANI (@ANI) February 1, 2018
All in all, the reactions to the budget have been nothing out of the ordinary. The government hailed it as an exceptional budget, the opposition could not find a single positive with it and as usual, the middle class was left disappointed.
