Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav also slammed the government's relief package (File)
The relief measures announced by the centre to ease financial burden on different economic sectors were "creative accounting" and "empty package wrapped in speeches", the Congress said on Thursday. The sharp attacks were launched as Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman today announced free foodgrains for migrant workers, concessional credit to farmers and working capital loan for street vendors as part of the second tranche of the Rs 20 lakh crore coronavirus stimulus package.
"It is not an economic package. It is an empty package wrapped with speeches since the last three days," Senior Congress leader Ahmed Patel tweeted.
"Government should be serious about how much money it wants to transfer into the hands of citizens. Now it has been trapped by this number of Rs 20 lakh crore. Rather than struggling to reach this target by creative accounting, better to work with a reasonable but genuine figure," he added
The Trinamool Congress called the financial package as a hoax.
"Like Wednesday, Thursday's announcements too have nothing to offer. One nation, one ration card is a commendable target, but it is hard to achieve and will take time to be implemented," Trinamool leader Saugata Roy was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.
No money was directly allotted for welfare of migrants, he said, adding, "This package is turning out to be a hoax."
Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav also slammed the government's relief package.
"What kind of solution is this? Farmers are being asked to take loans. The time is not right for making lofty promises, but to give immediate cash relief to farmers and the poor. As layers of the government's relief package are getting peeled, its hollowness is coming to fore. It is not a package, it is a bunch of jumlas (empty promises)," Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav tweeted in Hindi.
On Tuesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a cumulative package of Rs 20 lakh crore to provide relief to various segments amid the financial crisis set off by the coronavirus outbreak. Yesterday, Ms Sitharman unveiled the first tranche, which comprised a Rs 5.94 lakh crore plan for MSMEs and others.