Congress slams budget as 'insipid', says main issue of unemployment not addressed
New Delhi: Slamming the Union budget as "insipid" and lacking in stimulus for growth, the Congress on Saturday said it does not address the main issue of unemployment and describes the mindset of the government which is "all talk and nothing happening".
The opposition party said the budget presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman comprises piecemeal measures, repackaged schemes, jugglery of tax slabs, and has no real solutions to solve the economic crisis.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said there was no strategic idea or anything concrete in the Union Budget and it described the "hollow" approach of the government that was "all talk".
Talking to reporters outside Parliament soon after the presentation of the budget, he said it does not address the main issue of unemployment confronting the youth of the country.
"I did not see any concrete, strategic idea that could help our youngsters get jobs. There were redundant things in the budget and I did not see any central idea," he said.
"It describes the government quite well. There is a lot of repetition, a lot of rambling and nothing concrete. It describes the mindset of the government, all talk, all talk, all talk, and nothing happening," he said.
Senior party leader Ahmed Patel said that at a time when India is in the midst of an economic downturn, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman's budget speech focuses more on praising the prime minister rather than helping the common citizen.
"Longest Budget speech is also the most lacklustre budget ever. After Acche Din, New India, it now appears that the government has also abandoned the target of USD 5 trillion economy," Patel said in a series of tweets.
This budget confirms not only the bankruptcy of the economy but also a bankruptcy of government's ideas, he claimed.
"Piecemeal measures, repackaged schemes, jugglery of tax slabs and no real solutions to solve the present economic crisis," Patel said referring to the budget. "After squeezing out LIC of profitability, the government now wants to sell it to rescue itself," he claimed.
Patel also said that after "harassing" taxpayers for last six years, the government seems to have realised its disastrous impact on the economy.
"We hope this will not be mere lip service but will be implemented in letter and spirit," he said.
Congress leader and senior spokesperson Anand Sharma said that "budget is insipid, lacking in stimulus for growth" and has no clear roadmap for job creation.
Party's chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala also slammed the budget and posed questions to Sitharaman on Twitter.
He alleged that the government's five trillion economy assertion had turned out to be a 'jumla' and there was no mention of the word employment in the budget.
"Will create five new smart cities? No mention of the 100 smart cities!" Surjewala said. How did the number of those living below the poverty line increase, he asked.
The Congress, on its official Twitter handle, also said that core sector growth stood at 1.3 per cent in December, despite a significant fall from the same time last year, and budget has failed to lay out a roadmap on how the government plans to address this serious issue.
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PM Modi is controlled by Donald Trump, wants to do the same in TN: Rahul Gandhi
Ranipet (Tamil Nadu) (PTI): Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was being "controlled" by US President Donald Trump and that the PM wanted the AIADMK to capture power so that he could control Tamil Nadu Chief Minister.
Also, he claimed that the prime minister "handed out our energy security and gave away our data, besides selling our farmers and small and medium industries."
"You saw yesterday (in Parliament) the face of Prime Minister Narendra Modi completely lacking confidence," Rahul said on the delimitation bill.
"He (PM) could not even face the opposition. He was sitting sideways. And the reason is, he is controlled by the United States. He signed the India-US deal that sold our country out," Rahul said while addressing an election rally here.
He further said, "Today, if Donald Trump tells Modi to jump, Modi jumps. If Donald Trump tells Modi to lie down, Modi lies down. Why? Because Donald Trump controls Modi fully. How does he control him? He controls through the Epstein files. He controls him because he knows Modi's financial systems and understands Modi's link with Adani," the Congress leader alleged.
Just as he was being controlled by Trump, Modi wanted to do the same to the chief minister of Tamil Nadu. "That is why he wants to put AIADMK in power in TN," Rahul said.
The Union government had rejected references to PM Modi in the latest Jeffrey Epstein case files, describing it as “little more than trashy ruminations by a convicted criminal that deserves to be dismissed with the utmost contempt”.
