Left, Opposition pick holes in Budget proposals

NOT HAPPY: CPI's D Raja welcomed the loan relief package, but is also not happy with social sector spending.

        

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Even though one of the UPA's Left allies, the Communist Party of India (CPI) welcomed the loan relief package, but it is also not entirely happy with social sector spending.

"As far as the plight of small and marginal farmers and other farmers is concerned, the Left has been demanding the waiver of the loans. The budget has announced the waiver of the loans and one time relief to farmers. We welcome this step. having said this, I must point out that we had demanded the government to constitute a National Debt Relief Commission. That has not been announced and we had asked the government to reduce the interest rate to the farmers and bring it down to four per cent simple interest rate. That has not been done," CPI national secretary and MP D Raja said.

"Certain steps which the FM has taken are damage control measures but the direction of the economic reforms the same," Raja added.

Former finance minister and Bharatiya Janata Party leader Yashwant Sinha said that the Budget is unrealistic and does not cater to the aam aadmi.

"He (P Chidambaram) has not followed the policy prescriptions of the Economic Survey. What he has done for the farmers - the loan remission scheme - I don't think it can be implemented within the time schedule that he has mentioned in the Budget. The Budget contains a lot of half cooked, uncooked proposals and all in all it does not help the aam aadmi," he said.

However, the last word on the Budget came from Union Railway Minister and Rashtriya Janata Dal supremo Lalu Prasad, who in his own inimitable style explained why the Opposition was unhappy.

"Inka chatii phat raha hai Rail Budget se hi aur Rail Budget ke baad ye jo Bharat Sarkar ka vit Budget aaya to ismme inlogon ka hawa nikal gaya. Adhyaay ab inlogon ka samapt ho gaya vote ka. Ye vote ke liye sab kuch karte the aur communal virus ka jo sabse bada keeda hai inke dimag mein Advaniji ka ye aaj nikal gaya (They are not at all happy with the Rail Budget and after the Union Budget they have nothing to say. Their vote-bank politics is about to end. They are only interested in communal politics)," Lalu remarked.