"Zero Sum Budget": Rahul Gandhi, Opposition Condemn Centre

The opposition slammed the Union budget presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in parliament today, saying it has nothing to offer to the middle classes, youth, farmers or women.  Ms Sitharaman had called this year's budget a "blueprint to steer economy from India@75 to India@100". Congress's Rahul Gandhi said it was a "Zero sum budget".

In a tweet, Mr Gandhi said:

M0di G0vernment's Zer0 Sum Budget!

Nothing for
- Salaried class
- Middle class
- The poor & deprived
- Youth
- Farmers
- MSMEs

— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) February 1, 2022

"Disappointing budget. Achhe din pushed even further away. No relief to middle class," said senior party leader Shashi Tharoor. Manish Tewari went a step further, calling it "Insipid Unimaginative Uninspiring Unrealistic Unimplementable".

"India's Salaried Class & Middle Class were hoping for relief in times of pandemic, all round pay cuts and back breaking inflation. FM & PM have again deeply disappointed them in Direct Tax measures. This is a betrayal of India's Salaries Class & Middle Class," tweeted party spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala.

Shiv Sena's Priyanka Chaturvedi tweeted:

Right notes in the speech on
Climate Action,Energy Transition
FinTech reduced to GIFT city
Roadmap to achieve the goals
Tax relief for individuals
Relief for senior citizens
Policy focus for women
Relief from burgeoning expenses. #Budget2022

— Priyanka Chaturvedi (@priyankac19) February 1, 2022

GoI Focus:

Climate Action
Promoting Digital economy FinTech
Energy Transition
New Sunrise Sectors#UnionBudget2022

— Priyanka Chaturvedi (@priyankac19) February 1, 2022

Trinamool Congress's Derek O'Brien hit out at the government saying, "Diamonds are this government's best friend. For the rest - farmers, middle class, daily earners, unemployed - this is a PM (Does Not) Care Budget2022".

"On the one hand, the Budget talks of climate action and protecting the environment. On the other, it pushes ecologically disastrous river-linking projects. Rhetoric sounds nice. But actions matter more. On that front, the Modi govt is on a destructive path," tweeted Jairam Ramesh, Congress's former Union Minister.