The Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) has termed the Union Budget as anti-people budget as the ruling BJP MPs have thumped desks during the presentation of the financial statement when the Union Minister announced that GST collection was highest this January since its introduction.
Former president of TPCC Ponnala Lakshmaiah said in a statement on Tuesday that it was unfortunate that the budget would make it clear that Centre was ignorant about the priorities required for the country. It did not tell how it would reduce tax burden on people and made no mention of sanction of funds to Telangana due as per law.
Former minister Mohammed Ali Shabbir remarked that the slogan of Prime Minister Narendra Modi of “Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas aur Sabka Vishwas” had once again proved hollow as the allocation for minority welfare was not increased.
He noted that allocation for the minority welfare was ₹5,020.50 crore for 2022-23 against ₹4.346.45 crore allocated in 2021-22 and it was less than ₹5,029 crore allocated in 2020-21.
He condemned the BJP Government for stopping funds for Moulana Azad Education Foundation as only ₹1 lakh was earmarked for it for 2022-23 against ₹70.92 crore allocated in 2020-21 and a revised allocation of ₹76 crore made in 2021-22 and said the budget presented by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman was highly disappointing for minorities.
Another former minister and senior Kisan Congress leader M. Kodanda Reddy said the Union Budget was a step towards handing over agriculture sector to corporates as subsidies on fertilizers were reduced by about ₹35,000 crore and reduced the allocation for support price scheme by ₹10,000 crore to about 23 crops forgetting the fact that it was the agriculture sector which had held the country’s economy together during the coronavirus pandemic impact.
