Within minutes of Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman winding up her budget speech on Monday, the opposition took to attacking the government for perceived shortcomings in its expenditure plan.
Congress MP and former Union minister Shashi Tharoor used his trademark wit to attack the BJP government for presenting a budget that critics felt was unimaginative.
Tharoor tweeted about the budget using the illustration of an incompetent automobile mechanic. Tharoor tweeted, "This BJP government reminds me of the garage mechanic who told his client, 'I couldn’t fix your brakes, so I made your horn louder.'"
Congress spokesperson Jaiveer Shergill tweeted throughout the presentation of the budget, picking purported flaws in it. Referring to hype about the budget, Shergill tweeted about slogans describing it as the 'budget of the century'. Shergill tweeted, "After promising a century, FM is out hit wicket at Zero !! Instead of calling it as 'budget of the century' it will be remembered as 'blunder of the century' by BJP Govt"
Referring to lack of measures for the middle class, Shergill tweeted, "Budget has left middle class 'bruised & wounded' by not changing tax slabs, not increasing deductions,not making new deduction slots like home loans, not bringing fuel under GST, not sharing ₹19Lac crore gain from fuel taxes, not reducing GST rates-Common Man cheated & betrayed!" Shergill alleged the BJP's approach would push the economy further into vortex of recession. He wrote, "Budget case of 'Wrong diagnosis & Wrong Prescription' by BJP Govt which instead of healing, reforming & rejuvenating has chosen to adopt damaging, disappointing & destroying approach to push the economy further into vortex of recession."
Trinamool Congress Rajya Sabha MP Derek O'Brien tweeted "India’s first paperless budget is also a 100% visionless budget." He claimed the aim of the "fake budget" was to sell India, referring to disinvestment of railways, airports, ports, insurance and PSUs.
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O'Brien alleged plans for cess by the Centre were "Another loot on federalism. States robbed of revenue."
BSP chief Mayawati tweeted, "Crores of poor, farmers and toiling masses of the country are tired of many types of breathtaking promises, hollow claims and assurances etc. by the Central and State governments and their lives are constantly plagued. It will be better if the government implements its promises on the ground."
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Shiv Sena spokesperson Priyanka Chaturvedi highlighted the slew of measures announced for the Gujarat International Finance Tec City (GIFT) City, a smart city being promoted by the Gujarat government. Chaturvedi tweeted, "GIFT City gets: Tax holiday, tax breaks, tax incentives to - those setting up businesses- Fin tech - foreign Banks- IFSC- Aircraft Rental companies Amazing brazenness to deny other cities especially Mumbai, the financial support and infrastructure from the centre."
Chaturvedi complained the budget offered "no tax relief to salaried class", “nothing much for women except the lip service towards existing schemes” and “nothing much fr children who lost out on their studies due to exacerbated digital divide”.
