KOLKATA: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday vehemently criticised the Union Budget presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in Parliament earlier in the day, saying it would impact farmers and poor people across the country. She said, "it is anti-farmer, anti-people and anti-country budget".
"The budget is not in favour of the farmers and poor people of the country. What kind of budget is this? It's a fake budget. Bhekdharisarkarerfakedari budget (It is a fake budget of the deceptive government," Banerjee said on the occasion of virtual inauguration of a bridge in north Bengal's Siliguri.
She said the budget will increase prices of the essential commodities. "The agricultural cess imposed upon all petroleum products will lead to price rise. The Centre takes away all the cess. The state governments do not get any share of that," she said.
The West Bengal Chief Minister dubbed the BharatiyaJanata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) as a vindictive government. "Are you sure that you will get your insurance amount? No one knows to whom they will send the insurance sector. I guess they will take a demonetisation-like decision with nationalised banks too," Banerjee said. The Union Budget also mentioned about the development of 675-km stretch in West Bengal at a cost of Rs 95,000 crore.
She said that the Centre wants to make roads ahead of polls. "Go and give this money to farmers. No need to make rural roads, I will myself make it," the Chief Minister said.
"We have already made roads in north Bengal. What will they do with Kolkata-Siliguri road? You made an airport in Assam operational, why can't you make the Coochbehar airport operational? If you don't do it, I will do it," she added. West Bengal Finance Minister AmitMitra said that the budget doesn't have the clarity and vision. "Only clarity it has is to sell off everything, starting from rail, port, insurance, airlines etc. A lot of expectations were there but it has failed to meet them," Mitra said, in his reaction to the budget. (IANS)