Like farm loan waiver,DBTs aim is to garner votes: BJP

Terming Budget 2013-14 as anti-people,directionless and election-oriented,the BJP Wednesday claimed the direct benefit transfer scheme had its genesis in the farm loan waiver scheme,which had paid rich electoral dividends to the ruling dispensation in 2009.

Initiating the debate on the Budget in Lok Sabha,BJPs Murli Manohar Joshi questioned the governments efforts to rein in fiscal deficit,saying people are more important than the figure of deficit. He said deficit was brought down to 5.2 per cent of the GDP by cutting down expenditures of different ministries by Rs 60,000 crore. Ask them (ministries) to spend even if fiscal deficit has to be increased by 2 -4 points for the sake of the country. Who is more important aam aadmi,labourers… or the figure? Is it the human being or the country,which is more important,or the figure? he said,adding there has to be a national consensus on economic objectives.

He said the focus of all schemes is to bring electorate into the pocket of the UPA. Stating that the direct benefit transfer scheme has its genesis in farm loan waiver,he said the Congresss tally in 2009 went up due to loan waiver,from 29 to 33 in Andhra Pradesh where loans worth Rs 11,000 crore were waived off,from 13 to 17 in Maharashtra where Rs 8,953 crore was spent on the scheme,and from 9 to 22 in UP where Rs 9,000 crore was spent.