AP opposition parties trash budget, say it extended empty hand to state

VIJAYAWADA: The Congress and other non-BJP parties termed the Union Budget 2021-22 as a new burden on the people. AP Congress committee president Dr Sake Sailajanath said the budget gave a shock to many sections of the society.

He said there was little of fund allotment for Andhra Pradesh while the budget gave preference to the assembly poll-bound states. CPI state secretary K Ramakrishna said the meaning of a Union Budget has changed as “it has given importance to only Tamil Nadu, Assam and West Bengal states where assembly polls are due.”

 

BJP leaders, on the other hand, claimed that the Union Budget is a people’s budget aimed at betterment of people’s lives after the corona crisis. BJP MP GVL Narasimha Rao said the BJP government gave top priority to the health sector by allocating huge funds. Also, the budget would “help the nation achieve self-reliance in all sectors.”

Dr Sailajanath objected to the proposal for withdrawal of government investments in public sector companies (PSUs) and said this privatization was unacceptable. He objected to the collection of Rs3,00,000 crore as taxes in the name of agriculture and others cesses.

 

He said the budget was an “election budget” and not a national budget, as four poll-bound states were given prominence in fund allotments.  “AP was totally neglected as there is no mention of the SCS, the Rayalseema development package and other bifurcation promises.”

CPI state secretary K Ramakrishna called the Union Budget as a corporate budget due to “absence of any provision” to help the poor, the employees and the middle class”.

As the elections are scheduled in Assam, West Bengal and Tamil Nadu, the BJP government has given preference to the three states under a political plan with the sole objective of winning elections. He lamented that the promises of bifurcation like metro line, SCS and funds were shunned and alleged that the BJP used the Covid-19 crisis to push anti-people policies like the three new agriculture laws.

 

CPM state secretary P Madhu alleged that the Modi government extended an empty hand to Andhra Pradesh. He objected to the proposals for privatization of public sector units and demanded that the MPs from the state must fight against the “step-motherly treatment” to AP in the budget.

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