Budget 'completely disregards' Punjab say Congress SAD

Chandigarh, Jul 23 (PTI) The Aam Aadmi Party, Congress and SAD on Tuesday expressed “disappointment” with the Budget saying it had failed to address the concerns of Punjab.
     Slamming the BJP-led NDA government for not considering any of its demands, including a package for crop diversification, Punjab Finance Minister and AAP leader Harpal Singh Cheema said the Budget "completely disappointed" the state.
     Cheema further accused the Centre of meting out step-motherly treatment to the border state. "The Centre meted out step-motherly treatment to the people of Punjab and farmers. The BJP-led government deceived the people of Punjab," he said.
     Opposition parties Congress and Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) also lashed out at the Centre for "completely disregarding" Punjab, saying it "failed" to address any of the demands of the state.
    However, the BJP leaders hailed the Budget, calling it "development-oriented".
    Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presented the Budget for 2024-25, her seventh straight Budget, surpassing the record of former prime minister Morarji Desai.
    Reacting to the budget, Congress leader Partap Singh Bajwa slammed the BJP-led Centre, accusing it of "completely disregarding" Punjab and the farming sector.
    Punjab is not only the border state, but also the "food bowl of India", however, the Union finance ministry "failed" to announce any special package for the state, said Bajwa, who is the leader of opposition in the assembly.
    "The farmers have been demanding a legal guarantee of a minimum support price (MSP) on 23 crops. Despite a promise by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Union government did not utter a single word on MSP."
    "Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman allocated Rs 1.52 lakh crore for agriculture and allied sectors in the entire country, which is not enough to bring the agriculture sector out of the deepening crisis. Punjab's agriculture sector needs a special bailout package," Bajwa added.
    The leader of opposition said no relief was given to the industry and business community of Punjab, which have been forced to migrate to other states. On the other hand, Bihar and Andhra Pradesh have got the "most priority" in the Budget, he added.
    Punjab Congress chief and Ludhiana MP Amrinder Singh Raja Warring described the Budget as "sarkar bachao Budget," claiming it was designed to "appease" various parties in the NDA coalition rather than addressing the pressing issues being faced by the people of the nation.
    "This budget fails to tackle crucial issues such as inflation, the ongoing farmers crisis, and the struggles of the middle class. While it mentions the need for job creation, it lacks substantial measures to achieve this," he said.
    "Disheartened to hear FM @nsitharaman Budget proposals. Punjabis had high hopes from the @narendramodi-led Union government.
    The FM chose not to mention Punjab even once throughout her speech. The country's food bowl deserves special grants for our infrastructural needs but @BJP4India continues to ignore Punjab," said Warring in a post on X.
    SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal said the Budget was "discriminatory" towards Punjab and "failed" to address any of the demands of the state.
    In a statement here, the SAD president said, "No allocation has been made for much-needed diversification or debt waiver for farmers of the state.
    "This despite the fact that groundwater depletion is at an all-time low and there is a realisation that the farmer needs to be incentivised to shift away from paddy cultivation."
    Badal said the Union government also "failed" to provide legal guarantee for an MSP and allocate funds to purchase crops at MSP.
    Meanwhile, BJP national general secretary Tarun Chugh hailed the Budget saying, "It is a beginning of a new chapter in the national economy."
    Calling the Budget "development-oriented," Chugh said the its main focus was on infrastructure development while keeping in mind the objective to fulfil the resolve of 'Viksit Bharat' (developed India).
    "The Budget also focuses on skill enhancement of youngsters," he said.
    BJP national spokesperson Jaiveer Shergill said the Budget has a lot for every section of society.
    "Jobs, internships, financial support for youths, credit guarantee for MSME, push for agriculture infrastructure, earmarking Rs 11 lakh crore for infrastructure, abolition of angel tax and the new tax regime for the salaried class by increasing deduction limits, makes this Budget progressive, reformative, visionary and historic", he asserted.
    The Budget has added "turbo jets" to the dreams and ambitions of India's youth.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)