’Glad Nirmala Sitharaman read Congress manifesto’: What Opposition said on Budget 2024

Opposition leaders were left fuming on Tuesday as Nirmala Sitharaman outlined the Budget proposal for 2024. The first post-poll budget of the BJP-led coalition government laid special emphasis on job creation and the rural areas as well as unveiling big sops for ally-led Bihar and Andhra Pradesh.

"I am glad to know that the Finance Minister has read the Congress Lok Sabha Manifesto after the election results. I am happy she has virtually adopted the Employment-linked incentive outlined on page 30 of the Congress Manifesto. I am also happy that she has introduced the Apprenticeship scheme along with an allowance to every apprentice spelt out on page 11 of the Congress Manifesto. I wish the FM had copied some other ideas in the Congress Manifesto," jibed Congress leader P Chidambaram.

Fellow party leader Jairam Ramesh also alleged that the internship scheme had been edited by the BJP to ‘grab headlines’ with arbitrary targets — such as the promise of 1 crore internships. The Congress, he countered, had envisoned a programmatic guarantee for all diploma holders and graduates.

Sitharaman made major announcements for Bihar and Andhra Pradesh — currently governed by BJP allies — on Tuesday including a boost in infrastructure and special financial support. The sops however garnered criticism from the Opposition with former Bihar CM Rabri Devi dubbing the allocation inadequate.

“Murders and thefts are happening in the state. Labourers are not getting their wages. Youth are not getting employment and farmer issues persist… ₹26,000 crore allotted to Bihar is a jhunjhuna,” the RJD leader said.

Both states were also denied 'special status' on Tuesday — despite repeated calls for the classification by Chief Ministers Chandrababu Naidu and Nitish Kumar after the Lok Sabha Election results. 

“In 2018, Chandrababu Naidu garu quit the NDA because of the non-biological PM’s failure to grant Andhra Pradesh Special Category Status. Six years after the drama, at a time when the Government is reliant on his MPs for support, all he has managed to get is ‘special financial support’ for Amravati,” wrote senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on X.

Meanwhile Independent MP Pappu Yadav urged the Nitish Kumar-led party to leave the Cabinet in order to register dissent. 

“They are saying that they will give 4 crore jobs, how many jobs have you given in last 10 years? What about the issue of migration from Bihar? Nitish Kumar is a kingmaker but you didn't get the special package…Now you are saying that don't give us special state status but a package. Why are you begging? Talk about special state status…no central university has been announced. You don't need to withdraw support, just leave the cabinet, I think Nitish Kumar is a serious person,” he said.

Protests broke out outside Parliament on Tuesday afternoon following the Budget announcements. Lawmakers from Punjab were seen raising slogans as they alleged that the northern state was ignored in the allocation of funds.  Leaders from the Maha Vikas Aghadi alliance in Maharashtra also raised slogans against the central government outside the Parliament.

“This is a 'kursi bachao' budget,” claimed TMC MP Kalyan Banerjee.

“Sarkaar bachani hai toh acchi baat hai ki Bihar aur Andhra Pradesh ko vishesh yojnao se joda gaya hai...They have increased unemployment in the last 10 years,” added Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav.

"I think this budget should be called 'PM Sarkaar Bachao Yojana' because they have realised if they want to save this Govt for the next 5 years, they would need their alliance partners to be happy. After denying a special status to Bihar and Andhra Pradesh, they have given them funds. Maharashtra continues to be ignored by the Centre. It has become a state where you keep taking in money from..."

“The issues like increasing unemployment, inflation and food prices were not addressed properly as they should have been. The government expenditure as per GDP has decreased. The economy will contract so the problem of the people will increase... Subsidies have been decreased... The economic activity has to be increased to increase the employment generation... The incentives to the employers will not increase the employment generation opportunities,” cautioned CPI(M) General Secretary Sitaram Yechury.

(With inputs from agencies)